The Long Night
by TheBeingOfEverything
Summary: Rin takes too long to return from receiving his gift from Shura after the party. Amaimon goes to check on him only to find the kitchen destroyed, Yukio and Shura unconscious… and Rin taken. Offshoot AU of Incandescence Chapter 9 and Incandescence Sides Chapter 3. Will be massively AU to both the aoex manga and Incandescence for reasons that will become very apparent.
1. Nocte Intermissa

**The Long Night**

**Summary**: Rin takes too long to return from receiving his gift from Shura after the party. Amaimon goes to check on him only to find the kitchen destroyed, Yukio and Shura unconscious… and Rin taken.

Offshoot AU of Incandescence Chapter 9 and Incandescence Sides Chapter 3. Will be massively AU to both the aoex manga and Incandescence for reasons that will become apparent.

Please read the tags, guys, this one's going pretty dark.

**A/N**: This fic brought to you by the fact that I have no impulse control and a deep, abiding love for that good whump. Thankfully it's a one-shot so I can get back to my other fics, right? :D

Update: it is no longer a one shot. I thought I would knock this out in a weekend, it's now over 30 pages and idk why I lie to myself like this anymore (:

**CHAPTER 1**

Nocte Intermisse

* * *

"Hey, you two love-birds! I need to borrow Rin for a minute."

Amaimon scowled as the call from Shura made Rin leave his arms, an apologetic smile on his face.

Once again his night and his fun had been interrupted.

But, he shivered, both from the cold and the anticipation of finally getting what he'd been building towards, Samael was waiting for them.

The thought of what he had to look forward to had him drawing his tongue over wind-chapped lips, shooting another glare at the dark parking lot he waited in under the streetlamp outside Rin's dorm.

Could he have waited inside? Probably, but that would have meant being stuck in the same room as that twin again- and a drunk Shura, who was an irredeemably loud drunk.

He summoned one of the handmade chocolates Rin had made him for his gift, letting the sweet flavour distract him and give him something to do while he waited.

Of course, his eyes narrowed at the memory, they tasted so much better melting in Rin's mouth, but he would have plenty of time to savor that particular treat at a later point.

Another gust of winter wind cut through his thin sweater. He plucked at the black fabric, fighting the urge to tug it further down over his thighs, seeing as that would hardly help in keeping him warm.

Not for the first time in his long life, Amaimon wondered what it would have been like to have been king of fire and not earth. Iblis certainly didn't have any problems keeping warm in even the coldest corners of Gehenna and Assiah.

Of course, having Rin next to him was nearly as good, the thought of which made him shift in place, irritation building at Rin's absence.

Amaimon wasn't known for his patience.

What gift could Shura possibly have for Rin that could take such a long time? It had been half an hour by now, judging by the rotation of Assiah through the spatial plane.

Was he still expected to play by human rules? He'd behaved all night, surely Rin wouldn't be too upset if he appeared and interrupted whatever was keeping him?

Well, Amaimon narrowed his eyes further, squinting up at the building Rin had disappeared into, he would be making it up to him soon anyway, if he did get upset.

A toothy grin split across his face, fangs itching to extend in his mouth, his real gift for Rin was still on its way, though Rin had liked the other he'd gotten for him well enough. Amaimon brushed his thumb over his jaw, echoing where the ghost of one of Rin's rewarding kisses had landed.

He'd worry about consequences later, giving up on controlling his impulses for the night. Amaimon was bored with pretending to be human.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Amaimon vanished from under the streetlamp, appearing in the entryway to the dorm and out of the cold, finally.

Shivers went through his body before he adjusted to the temperature change and tried to guess where Rin was. A careful sniff told him Rin had been somewhere on the first floor recently, so Amaimon headed to the kitchen, assuming he could pick up the trail from there.

Or at least grab something on the way to Rin- Amaimon focused away from thoughts of inhaling whatever was in the fridge, if he could get away with it without irritating Mephisto's familiar who's territory it was- when something made him stop.

One of the chairs was overturned, the table next to it looking as if it had been shoved aside in passing, while the rest of the cafeteria was spotless and orderly because of that twin's incessant need to organize everything.

A flicker of light caught his eye and Amaimon stalked closer, wary now, though he couldn't place why, letting his instincts direct him towards the open window between the kitchen and the cafeteria where the fluorescent lights proved to be the source of the flickering.

Blood.

Amaimon's eyes widened and he vanished into the room, heart freezing in his chest even as he searched out the source of the faint scent amidst the destruction of the kitchen.

There!

Shura and the twin, unconscious and laying in the wreckage beside the center island, shattered plates and cracked tiles and the signs of a short fight surrounding their still forms.

Where was Rin.

Amaimon couldn't detect Rin in the room, just his fading scent and that of any place he frequented, the kitchen as much his territory as Mephisto's familiar, now.

_Where was Rin._

His heart thundered in his chest, the beginnings of panic unfurling inside him as Amaimon gave up searching for any signs of Rin, who had clearly been taken from the kitchen without fighting back or Amaimon would have sensed his energy.

Why?

A sharp snap of his fingers had the humans waking up, the most efficient way to find Rin.

"Mmn- ugh, my head," Shura was the first to speak, hand coming up to prod at the sluggishly bleeding bruise on her temple that had been the source of the blood Amaimon had smelled.

"Where is he!" Amaimon snarled, not having patience for human weakness when Rin had been gone for an unknown amount of time and could be _anywhere_.

"Rin!"

Amaimon glared down at the twin when he woke, too.

"Dammit!" Shura's violent curse had Amaimon's claws flexing in growing anger.

Why couldn't the humans just give him what he needed to know instead of wasting his time?

"They took him," Yukio whispered, eyes darting behind the cracked lenses of his glasses.

That wasn't an answer.

"Where. Is. Rin!" Amaimon snarled, the earth beneath them trembling as his patience reached its limits and sending the humans scrambling to their feet, fear shaking them as much as the earth did.

"Amaimon! Cool it!" The woman shouted above the rattling of anything not tied down in the room as she moved to guard the twin with her arms, shoving him behind her like that would protect him from Amaimon's wrath.

"You're gonna bring the whole building down on us and then we'll never find him, dammit!" Her pupils were pinpricks in the lavender of her irises, sweat trickling down her neck over a fluttering pulse that had Amaimon zeroing in on the revealed weakness.

"We have no idea who they were!" The twin finally spoke up and Amaimon almost killed him for it, his voice irritating on the best of days, until he registered the words.

"They used wind summons to bind us after Rin collapsed, we didn't get anything else off of them!"

Useless!

A piece of the ceiling cracked from the strain it was under, falling to knock into the twin's shoulder on the way down.

"Agh!"

He was going to-!

Amaimon howled his rage, the sound lost in the shattered glass and panicked cries from the humans.

Rin's humans.

_Rin_.

Amaimon used the last of his control to vanish from the room, not bothering to snap his fingers. He was beyond theatrics and worthless gestures.

He needed Samael.

* * *

He appeared in Samael's bedroom, body hunched in a stark curve as his shriek sent whipcord tension stringing along his spine.

Amaimon couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"He's _gone_!" His guttural scream barely sounded like words, the foundation of the mansion shaking as Amaimon felt his control slipping under a black sea of welling panic.

Only to gag on a silent breath, scream cutting off with his air.

"Where. Is. _Rin_."

The shaking earth had stopped. Everything had stopped, still and silent in the dark of the bedroom.

Samael tightened the claws he'd dug into and through Amaimon's jugular, any deeper and he'd have crushed it in his fist.

But it hadn't stopped the panic in his mind, a litany of _he's gone he's gone he's gone _as he choked, blood running down his throat in Samael's unforgiving grip.

His eyes rolled wildly in his skull, vision beginning to spot with black dots as his oxygen ran out and he suffocated on the liquid filling his lungs and still Samael didn't let go.

The roaring pulse in his veins, flooded with adrenaline, grew louder as he began to struggle, writhing movements an automatic reaction to the threat of his host body's approaching death.

Right up until even that was too much. Gravity pulled against the weight of Samael's clawed fingers dug through him, the only thing keeping him up as his struggles ceased like his strings had been cut.

Amaimon hung, slumped, energy fading with his consciousness until Samael dropped him to the ground in a dazed heap and numb limbs.

"Judging by your wailing, something has happened to Rin," Samael snapped, his anger visible even over the buzzing in Amaimon's ears and the pain of his healing body where he shuddered on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

A wretched moan left Amaimon's mouth and a snarl left Samael's at the confirmation as he started pacing the carpeted floor, his tail lashing under his robe.

"Under your watch, Amaimon, King of Earth and Seventh in Gehenna," Samael hissed his full title out, mocking, and a sneer twisted his lips over his fangs- going straight for the jugular, for his weaknesses.

There would be no mercy from Samael tonight.

_Good_.

Amaimon calmed, finally, throat healed as he coughed up a glob of the remaining congealed blood from his lungs, black on the light carpet in the night-dark room. It didn't matter, he could see clearly, rationally, now, his emotions suppressed again after the overwhelming swell that had washed away his mind.

He rose, the last of the weakness leaving his bones.

"Well?" Samael prompted, and Amaimon knew if he tried to pull what those humans had he really would be dead.

"Half an hour, taken from his kitchen without a fight, the twin and your exorcist tried to put up a fight and were dealt with with wind summons, they didn't know who attacked them," Amaimon laid out everything he'd been able to observe before his emotions had overcome him.

Samael nodded, "let's return and hope your fit hasn't destroyed what evidence there may have been."

Amaimon accepted the admonishment and they vanished back to the kitchen, startling the humans who had been in the process of recovering themselves.

"Sir Pheles?" The twin yelped, sending out prey signals to Amaimon's instincts that had him suppressing the urge to growl again.

"Mephisto," Shura came to attention, the time Amaimon had been gone allowing her to gather her wits. Good, that was one less annoyance.

Samael bowed his head to her, one of those human mannerisms he liked to employ to pacify them, "what happened here, Miss Kirigakure?"

Amaimon began the search, keeping one ear on the conversation, though he left that aspect to Samael to focus on, his job would be to look for the physical signs of Rin's capture.

He stalked around the chaotic mess the kitchen had become, noticing Samael's familiar in a heap against one of the cabinets and snapped the creature awake, growl already on his lips to temper the beast into immediate obeisance. The creature heaved itself up and scurried to Samael's side, knowing Amaimon was in no mood to speak.

There, Amaimon narrowed his eyes, some sign other than the damage caused by his rage and that which was done to subdue the humans.

Samael's gift to Rin lay scattered on the floor, decorative wrapping paper and rumpled clothes spilled from the opening of the bag. The sight made Amaimon want to rampage all over again but he contained it, letting it build to release on the dead creatures walking when he found them.

But that was it, the scents of the room belonged only to the current occupants and the faded parts of Rin. Whoever had taken Rin had known to conceal their scent, had known to anticipate demons hunting for them. Had known Amaimon and Samael would come for them.

It was a planned attack. Amaimon let a heated breath exhale from his nose, scanning the rest of the kitchen but anticipating not finding any other clues, the culprits too thorough.

Amaimon returned to Samael's side, interrupting whatever nonsense the humans had been spewing, "there's nothing here to trace them with, no sign of Rin. They left through the cafeteria, dragging him."

The table and chair that had been skewed may have been from Rin struggling, or his captors simply not paying attention to being careful with his body.

Every bit of damage done to Rin would be taken out of their worthless hides strip by painful strip, Amaimon decided, already imagining his vengeance.

"Amaimon," Samael said, voice deceptively quiet and bringing Amaimon out of his bloody daydreams in an instant, "the only hint we have is that they used wind summons. They captured Rin after he collapsed suddenly and they fought Miss Kirigakure and Mr. Okumura without speaking or letting onto their motives."

"Hn," Amaimon grunted, not surprised and not happy about it, either, but already moving to act, "track them from here, then?"

"They'll have covered their tracks but we may discover something following it, regardless," Samael murmured back, joining him as they turned to leave the room, the humans silent behind them. Amaimon could hear the frustrated, distraught, cry from the twin the moment they left their sight.

The cold winter air swallowed them up as they followed the faint scent of Rin from the dorm and into the night.

* * *

"Wake up, kiddo."

Rin gasped, awareness hitting him like one of Amaimon's punches. Feeling followed right after and Rin winced, struck by a weakness he hadn't felt since the end of the Impure King mission when he'd over-extended himself. A draining on his energy that reminded him of the last time he'd had the flu, sick in a way he hadn't been since his days as a human.

"You with us, yet, Rin?"

That voice, Rin groaned around a dry throat and forced his eyes open, only to snap them closed, the blinding lights that greeted him too much to take at once.

But he managed it, needing to figure out what the hell was going on and pushing past the discomfort with a flutter of his lashes until he could see.

"There you are."

It was…

"Lightning?" Rin rasped the name, a question, even as his heart stuttered in his chest and his breaths shortened. The last time he'd seen him-

-The party?

Lighting smiled, broad, friendly, his hand rubbing at the back of his ratty unwashed hair. The smile didn't reach his eyes when he pinned his gaze to Rin's.

He stepped closer, Rin flinched back, breath hitching when he jerked in place instead of going anywhere.

"Hey, what gives!" It was a statement made to buy time more than a real question, it didn't really matter why.

Because just being in the same room as Lightning, one of the famed Arc Knights of the Order, the one who'd been perfectly ready to torture Shima for information and, most prominent in Rin's mind, the one who had mimicked a demon's claim on him all to find out what, if any, relationship was there between he and Mephisto, shot sharp terror straight into his core.

Lightning was a man willing to do anything to further his goals, whatever those were. A true demon in all but the literal sense.

Mephisto had cautioned him to stay away, to not be alone with Lightning. Amaimon had gone with him to every class he had with the arc knight as his instructor, even after Rin had assured him he could handle it, now.

It hadn't been enough.

His terror was visible, by the way Lighting halted and cocked his head, smile still on his face, "hey now, I haven't even told you what you're here for, there's no need for that."

"Let me go," Rin said, a low growl enhancing his demand as his fangs slid down to fill his mouth.

A short laugh was his answer, "no can do, Rin, you're kinda necessary."

"Necessary for what?" Rin hissed out as flames coiled inside him.

Lightning shoved his hands in the pockets of his worn pants, shrugging, "ah, why don't we wait until the others get here, I just came to make sure that seal was nice and tight on you so we don't have any accidents with those flames of yours, ya' know?"

"Wha-?" Rin didn't bother finishing his whispered question, calling his flames, willing them to burst from under his skin, to incinerate his bonds and the bastard smiling that damn sheepish smile at him from a few feet away.

Nothing.

Fire churned in his belly and in his lungs, overheating until he thought he might pass out with the energy building inside, and it. Wouldn't. Come to him!

A snarl, half fury, half horror, erupted from behind his extended fangs and Rin began struggling anew, wrenching his body against whatever was holding him and snapping his teeth when Lighting leaned closer as if to get a better look.

"Woah, look at those chompers!" The cheer in Lightning's voice never left, Rin's actions seeming to make him happier as he peered at the demonic features now formed.

And his hand was in Rin's hair, ruffling it like he was some sort of dog, fingers scratching through the strands like only Mephisto and Amaimon did to him now.

"You keep that up and we'll have to muzzle you, Rin."

The casual promise stopped Rin short, breaths coming faster through his nose as he hyperventilated because that hand was _still there_.

He couldn't move.

"There, that's better," Lightning patted his head one more time, the touch a solid weight that sent a heavy gasp to shatter behind his teeth and escape in a thin hiss as Rin tried to contain a shudder of revulsion.

Two doors opened, steel and cold and matching the rest of the metal of what Rin was now realizing made up a lab of some sort.

Rin couldn't tell if he was happy for the new arrivals stopping Lightning from putting his hands on him, the arc knight stepping away to wait, or if he was just terrified all over again.

The three who entered were all clearly at least half demonic, the pointed ears, sharp claws, and slit-pupiled eyes a dead giveaway even if the scent coming off of them wasn't clue enough.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Rin said as they stopped to examine him from next to Lightning.

His question only got him a dismissive frown from one of the three, a short man with choppy straw-blonde hair and pale gray eyes that swept over his bound form before returning to regard Lightning, "you've checked the seals, Lewin?"

"Yessir," Lightning said, giving a thumbs-up as he waved his other hand in Rin's direction, "he's all good to go, I figured I'd wait to say anything until everyone was here."

"Excellent work, Lewin," the second demon said, this one around Rin's height with short hair another darker shade of blonde and eyes a darker gray. His fangs flashed when he spoke and Rin's grit in response, he was noticing a trend with his captors now and he didn't like it.

"If you could explain, then, Lewin, we should get that out of the way," the second continued as the third, a woman this time with that same blonde-gray color scheme, moved to start messing with something out of Rin's view.

"Tilt him back please, Micah," came the cool voice from the woman, startling Rin and sending him jolting in his restraints again as the taller man, Micah moved forward.

"Don't touch me!" Rin snapped, head knocking into the hard surface behind it- a table, he was strapped to a _table_. In a_ lab_.

Micah pushed back on the metal surface, ignoring Rin again, as the table slid until Rin lay horizontal, forced to stare up at the bright lights above him as his heart beat a staccato rhythm in his chest.

"Sorry, Rin," Lightning began, crossing his arms as he finally dropped the cheerful facade from his face, "like I said, you're necessary or we wouldn't be doing this- well, not that I would pass up such a cool opportunity to study a half-demon like you, but this isn't about me."

Rin couldn't take his eyes away from the detached expression in Lightning's piercing eyes, a sick dread building in his stomach when he just smiled again, "the world's a bit more complicated than that, but anyway, lemme introduce you to these guys, huh."

"You've heard Micah's name already, that's Ariette, and he's Feris."

At his name, Feris scoffed, "why bother introducing us, Lewin, it's not going to mean anything to him anyway."

Rin stayed silent, the implications stealing his voice and leaving him stunned on the table.

"Ah, you're right," Lightning rubbed at his head, as he gave another sheepish laugh, "sorry, where was I, oh yeah, the reason you're here."

He cocked a thumb over his shoulder to the woman, Ariette, "these three are nephilim of the demon king of spirits, Azazel, from the line that everyone thinks died out a few centuries ago but didn't actually, and are the third side to the war between the Baal and Sol, and, of course, Satan."

What? A third?

So casual- he was so casual about the truth bomb he'd just laid out as if it was the simplest thing in the world that there was yet another side to the war between Assiah and Gehenna, a war Rin had only learned about within the last year that had already seemed so complicated.

"What does that have to do with me?" Rin felt himself ask through a haze.

Lightning smiled down at him, "we need you to see about using those blue flames of yours to strike at Satan- you're connected to him through them, you know, and, well, Sir Pheles would _never_ have let us do any kind of testing on you, so we had to arrange this whole mess just to get you here."

"Testing?" Rin breathed the word out, a strangled whimper following it that he couldn't control even if he'd wanted to.

"Sure thing," Lightning practically chirped, excited smile lighting on his face as he leaned over Rin, a dark figure haloed by the cold lights above him until all Rin could see were his intense eyes beneath his shaggy fringe, "if we want to take out Satan, it's gotta be through you, we just need to figure out how- that's the fun part."

"What does that even mean?" Rin said, hoarse as the question left his mouth, pulled out more by the desire to prolong the future whose shape he could see building on the horizon.

"He means, we'll be using the blue flames you inherited from Satan to strike back at him," Ariette said, coming to stand over him- and she had a large needle in her hand that she flicked a few times to prepare, cocking her head to peer at his tensed arm where it was strapped down to the table, "we need to get some baseline data from you first, however."

"We'll begin the stress tests after this," Micah said, drawing Rin's horrified attention to him as he pulled out a tablet and started typing on it, then gestured to Feris, "please go make sure the temperature chamber is prepped, I'd like to start with that test first after we've put in the implants."

The word 'implants' ran through Rin's head in an ever increasing repetition and a cold sweat broke out on his skin as he began to tremble.

"Let me go," his voice sounded far away, a bare shiver past his lips, his chest heaving in small gasps as Ariette slid the needle into his vein, a sharp slice of pain lost in the chaotic sea his thoughts had become.

He barely registered it when the needle slipped back out, still trying to call his flames from beneath his skin to protect himself and fighting back his defensive growls that were starting to sound more like whimpers the longer he couldn't do anything.

And then Micah came towards him, taking Ariette's place with a scalpel in one hand and a tray with metal chips in the other and Rin couldn't stop the panic attack.

"Let me go!" He shrieked, the demand running out of his mouth over and over, echoing the flood in his mind until it roared out of him, deafening in the hollow room as he thrashed in his bindings.

Until a hand clamped over his mouth, another in his hair, fingers tightening until strands ripped out with each jerk of his head. Rin reacted before he could think, jaw dropping as wide as it would go so he could sink his fangs deep.

Blood rushed down his throat, gagging him and making him unlatch from the hand so he could cough, sending trails over his lips to pool at his head. But the moment he stopped coughing, something cold and metal pressed into his lips while his head was raised by the hand still gripping his hair. Finally, a latch clicked and his head was dropped to thud to the table, sending tears prickling at his eyes.

"I warned you, kiddo," Lightning's voice doused his panic under heavy sheets of ice as he realized what had happened, "keep that up and the muzzle comes out."

Rin sucked in harsh breaths through his nose, eyes wide and staring at the dangerous scowl on Feris' face as he shook his healing hand- the one Rin had bit, before wiping at it with a cloth to clear the blood.

"Tch," he muttered, tossing the used cloth to a nearby counter before nodding at Micah as if forgetting Rin's presence entirely, "chamber's prepped and ready to go whenever."

"Good, now that that excitement's over," and Micah leaned over Rin, not even looking at his eyes once, to carve into his skin and insert the implants.

It was over in moments, Rin healing without a trace, Micah even going so far as to wipe away the trickle of blood from the cuts so that it was like nothing had been done at all.

He still felt them, or Rin thought he did, like parasites burrowed in his skin, an itch just beneath the surface.

A whimper tried to escape his mouth, muffled by the metal until he thought only he could hear it.

"Let's move him into the chamber then," Micah brushed his hands on his lab coat, already walking out of Rin's line of sight.

And Lightning, quirking his lips in an apologetic smile down at Rin, began rolling the table as directed. The squeak of wheels on the floor rang discordant in Rin's ears until it almost covered the sound of his pulse throbbing there too.

The harsh lights blinded him but he was unable to take his eyes from their lock on the ceiling.

Rin wanted…

He wanted Mephisto.

He wanted Amaimon.

He wanted...

_Help me._

_Someone._

_Please._

The heavy door closed and it was just Rin alone in the chamber.

A vibration started in the walls and the temperature dropped.

He began to shiver.


	2. Tread in the Undertow

Summary: Things break before they get better. Amaimon deals with change he wasn't prepared for, Samael has to consider a board with a few less pieces on it, and Rin suffers with several uncomfortable truths brought to light.

Notes: I'm not sure how accurate the way I've described the way the demon kings powers functioning is to the series but I had fun with it so consider it a bit more flavor to this already AU AU lol

**CHAPTER 2**

Tread in the Undertow

* * *

They moved like dark wraiths through the city, following the faint hint of other-worldly fire that was purely Rin through a maze of back-alleys and vacant side streets.

Rin's captors had tried to lose them by getting in a car after they'd dragged him from his dorm, but even cars had scents, so they'd tracked that too.

Samael went first, intimate knowledge of his territory allowing him to anticipate the direction a car would be forced to take while Amaimon made sure they didn't overlook anything.

He kept his bloodthirst as contained as his powers, only a shift of shadows to herald his passing, echoed by intermittent trembles in the earth whenever Amaimon slipped. Weaker demons hid in alcoves and scurried out of sight when they passed. The few humans still out at the late hour shivered from more than just the cold, though they would never know what creatures had just sent tendrils of unease down their spines.

But, despite their meticulous scouring, the trail vanished.

Amaimon growled, low, a flash of gold eyes sweeping over the empty lot they'd found themselves in as he prowled in a tight circle, like a tiger pacing a too small cage before he was forced to give up.

Samael stood, statuesque, a snake coiled to strike without prey nearby, until Amaimon came to a stop next to him, waiting for his direction.

The breath that left him sounded as a hiss, the only hint at his temper.

"What have you observed, Amaimon."

"They must have had help, getting to him like they did- something had to make him collapse before the fight even started."

He narrowed his eyes at Amaimon, a warning that made him duck his head, covering his throat from view, though the idea that such a move would save him from Samael's ire almost had him lashing out before he reigned the impulse in, "I said what have you observed, Amaimon, not what you have concluded. We can't afford to miss anything by making assumptions."

"It's the same as the kitchen," Amaimon spat, his own temper frayed, always harder to control once loosened than Samael's cold rages, "nothing, they must have transferred him enroute to another car, covered his scent the same way they covered theirs."

"Then we have to work with our initial observations, as we suspected we would have to," Samael said, allowing Amaimon to continue his conclusions he'd been working towards.

Another tremor went through the earth, running through Amaimon's frame even as he spoke, "it wasn't an impulse attack, but we have no idea how long it was planned in advance."

Samael agreed, but, "we have something of a timeframe to work in, knowledge of Rin's existence within the year after he realized himself as a son of Satan and his start at the Academy."

The calculation went through Amaimon behind his eyes and his pupils flicked to either side as he began to pace again, "one of your exorcists?"

"Always so quick to jump to the humans, Amaimon," Samael said, a growl following his reprimand. They couldn't afford bias in their judgment, they had to be objective, "I have leverage over every exorcist in my branch, they could never move against me."

But the cold logic only made anger flash across Amaimon's face, lips curling back over extended fangs, though he didn't snarl at him or Samael would have been forced to act, "there are more exorcists than yours in the world, Samael."

A rebuttal started at the tip of his tongue before Samael stopped, claws flexing at his sides as he realized the truth of that statement.

There were, in fact, many exorcists stomping around his territory that didn't belong to him.

One in particular.

"He uses wind summons." Samael's breath left him.

He had a moment to react as Amaimon reached the same conclusion.

"_It was him_!"

Amaimon screamed and the earth screamed with him.

Great rents split their surroundings, sending jagged metal wreckage from the broken pipes buried in the ground jutting up over their bodies like a strange graveyard.

Samael was on him in the next heartbeat, a swift and violent maneuver that sent Amaimon down in a crush of power to sink his fangs into his jugular.

His snarl roared out over the earthquake, hot blood splashing to coat the inside of his mouth as he shook once in a brutal wrench of his head.

The earth stilled-

-And Amaimon stilled with it, only the shattered heaving of his chest against Samael's and the liquid gurgle from his throat signs that he lived.

He paused for the last of the trembling to leave Amaimon's form before licking at his ruined throat and releasing him to sit back, straddling his hips as he waited for the recovery to end.

But when he looked to meet Amaimon's eyes, he saw fury still simmering in them and knew the fight wasn't over.

"Control yourself, Amaimon," Samael hissed to quell the rebellion before it got any more out of hand and Amaimon leveled the entire city.

A growl sent blood to fleck at Amaimon's pale lips as he regained the ability to speak, jolting up on his elbows to confront Samael without the usual fear of punishment holding him back.

"I wanted to kill him for what he did to Rin! This is your fault, Samael!" Judgment poured from Amaimon's snarled accusations, fangs bared in challenge and Samael almost pushed him down again for daring, holding back only because he knew it would be a temporary solution.

Amaimon wouldn't submit this time, Samael would just have to do damage control.

"We had no way of knowing he would do something of this nature, Amaimon," he shot back.

It only made Amaimon's eyes widen, going incandescent with rage, the gold of his irises glowing in the pitch as he dropped his human facade.

"He _touched_ him! That worm dared- and right in front of you, Samael! And you did nothing!"

Samael froze, black anger eating at the calm he'd forced on himself for the sheer nerve.

"Will you re-hash this old argument or will you put that energy into rescuing your _beloved_ Rin, my dear Amaimon," he said, letting the false endearments out to spear into Amaimon like thorns growing through his skin and straight past his defenses.

The saccharine-sweet, mocking human terms had Amaimon panting short, shuddering breaths through his nose, staring up into his eyes as if betrayed.

In a way, he already had been, Samael was self-aware enough to recognize, thinking back to the plans he'd set into motion involving the naive Moriyama girl Amaimon hadn't realized his connection to yet.

But now wasn't the time for getting caught up in human worries like betrayal.

He would come to that pass eventually.

"Think, Amaimon," Samael said, knowing he had to appeal to Amaimon's reason instead of attacking his emotions- his weaknesses, when he was already in turmoil over them, much as the instinct to tear him apart for his audacity made that difficult, "even had I killed Mr. Lewin, Rin wasn't taken by him, or if he was, he had help."

His words reached Amaimon, though Samael could see the effort it took to beat back the fury just to even hear what he was saying, so he hurried on.

"There is a larger conspiracy at work here, I'm afraid, though it's impossible to say what it is or who it involves," his tone was frostbitten, but it was what Amaimon needed to sooth the turbulent waters of his temper before they boiled over again.

"How could you not know something so important going on, or that that worm was involved in a plot against you like that?" Came the petulant response, mirrored in the wounded twist of lips on Amaimon's face.

This was worse than any broken trust Amaimon would undoubtedly have when he discovered Samael's plot with the Moriyama girl. This was a loss in Amaimon's belief, his faith, in Samael, childish and so very human though it was. He hadn't been prepared to lose that.

And Samael didn't like losing.

"I am not omnipotent or omnipresent, Amaimon, much as you seem to think otherwise," the sharp rebuke had Amaimon rearing back, claws digging into the earth.

Samael bent to loom over him when Amaimon opened his mouth, patience at its limits, "stop wasting time with this, Rin's time, if you've forgotten, Amaimon, or do you think this is something I wanted?"

Amaimon shook against him, an uncontrolled jerk of his body as he fought the desire to continue his tirade or set it aside to focus on Rin again.

But he did settle, eventually, the roiling waters of his temper becoming placid to match the deadened expression that overtook his features. Samael shifted and stood, allowing Amaimon the freedom to move, though he didn't, staying on the hard ground.

"We'll have to track him another way," he said when it seemed Amaimon wouldn't speak anymore.

"We may be able to work through tracking Mr. Lewin instead of Rin, it's possible he was a bit less guarded about himself," Samael began his own pacing, following the path his thoughts took as they spiraled out rapid-fire in his head, knowing it was a harder route and a time-consuming one at that, and knowing Rin may not have even that long, depending on what his captors had planned for him, "perhaps Mr. Suguro has noticed something that could help us, he'll be more than willing once he discovers what his clever teacher and idol has done to his friend."

"No."

Samael stopped, gaze snapping to where Amaimon still hadn't moved from his slumped position, though his eyes had shuttered closed while his attention had been away.

"What do you mean?" Was he still rebelling? Or-

"We don't need the humans," Amaimon said without inflection, though Samael thought he detected resignation anyway.

His eyes reflected the cold light from the stars when he opened them, scratching through the grit under his fingertips.

"I can find him."

"How," Samael nearly snarled out, tired of the waiting and the strange weariness that had overtaken Amaimon that he had never seen on him before.

The smile that tugged at Amaimon's lips was wry and it sent a curl of some indefinable emotion through him that he ruthlessly crushed.

"Through my gift to him."

He understood, then, what Amaimon meant, and how he would find Rin.

"Are you certain? It may not even be on him, anymore," Samael knew the question was rhetorical, but couldn't stop himself from asking, cursing the dissolution of years of planning that had gone into what the loss could be.

"The cost may be that perfect host you've gained, it may mean your untethering," he added, watching as Amaimon tilted his head to stare into the dark sky overhead, uncaring of his bared throat.

Still, Samael spoke to him, "back to the agony of a decaying body that you alone amongst the baal have escaped, or nothing at all."

His words fell on deaf ears.

"It's a steep price to pay," Samael finished, voice soft, knowing Amaimon had made up his mind the moment he'd suggested the idea.

Amaimon shifted to lay down, stretching his palms over the cold earth and closing his eyes again, "watch my body for me, I'm going to find Rin."

Samael sat on the ground by his head, keeping vigil.

"Very well, Amaimon."

It was said to the wind, Amaimon had already gone under.

With nothing but time on his hands, Samael settled to do his own thinking, rearranging his web of plots and players as necessary to account for who would still remain by the night's end.

He would relish removing Mr. Lewin from that list.

* * *

He was so tired.

So…

His body wasn't shaking anymore, at least that he could feel. He couldn't feel much of anything.

But he was burning up, the cold turned to a heavy lead in his limbs as his core worked overtime to keep him alive until liquid fire ran in his veins from every strained push of his heart.

The heat filled him to the brim, trapped under his skin with no outlets to keep the pressure off. He'd gagged through the metal wrapped around his mouth, trying to breathe and panicking when he couldn't, forced to take gasping breaths through his nose that never felt like they were enough.

That had been a while ago, though he had no idea how much time had actually passed since he'd been locked in the room to freeze.

When had he blinked last?

Rin tried to close his eyes, movements and thoughts slowed to almost a standstill.

His vision went red and a bright flash of pain went across his eyes, the small cry torn out of him dying in his throat behind the muzzle.

He remembered, then, why he hadn't blinked in so long.

The tears that welled up had begun to freeze with the extreme temperature of the room and every time he blinked, ice cut into his corneas and he bled, then the blood would freeze and the vicious cycle continue until he gave up and lay there, blinded.

Rin didn't bother fighting the exhausted whimper, his healing factor keeping him conscious when he knew a normal human would have passed out and died long ago.

He just wanted to sleep.

The vibrations from the walls of the room stopped.

Were they letting him out?

Did he want them to? The memory of the other tests they'd mentioned made his frayed nerves twinge with anxiety.

But he couldn't take the burning cold anymore.

_Please_.

Vibrations again. Rin couldn't stop the tears from prickling at his eyes.

They didn't freeze this time.

And he remembered they'd said temperature test, before they'd left him in the chamber.

Heat, not from his core, but from the room, began pouring from the vents, the air becoming sweltering, and melted the ice that had formed.

Rin's body jolted, an unwilling movement as his healing adjusted to the rapid shift in extreme temperature.

He was still overheated, too hot, his core working to keep him alive and his brain from burning in his skull.

He couldn't-

Rin's sight blurred, head aching, body shivering, seizing, on the table.

And his vision faded, a blissful silence in his ears as he finally went under.

A soft metallic squeaking pulled him up again, though he couldn't place the sound.

"His vitals have stabilized, he's waking up."

"I guess we know his limits, now."

What?

"Good, we'll begin the healing factor tests."

Rin woke up fully, eyes shooting open to see he'd been wheeled out of the chamber and was now surrounded by the three nephilim.

A thin whine tightened his chest, fangs lengthening to slice into the sides of his mouth because he couldn't do anything else. It burned down his throat when he was forced to swallow or risk choking.

The sound brought Ariette's attention to him, brow arched as if annoyed he was awake.

But besides a twitch of her lips down, she didn't acknowledge him further.

She reached over and the needle was back in his arm, drawing yet more blood.

Ariette left with the vial but Rin's focus was on the cart Lightning wheeled over, and what was on the cart.

"Thank you, Lewin," Micah said, nodding, as Lightning cocked a jaunty two-fingered salute at him before shoving his hands in his pockets and waiting for orders.

They'd said healing test, Rin remembered, shoving back against the table he was bound to as if he could escape that way, hunching to try to curl around his unprotected vitals until bruises formed at his wrenching movements.

The scalpel was back in Micah's hand, but Rin couldn't tear his eyes from the hammer he saw on the cart, the other instruments of pain gleaming under fluorescent lights and all of them meant for _him_.

And he saw the way Feris smiled over Micah's shoulder and it scared him more than the impassioned expression on Micah.

"We'll begin with epidermal damage and then move to fracture tests," Ariette said over the primal fear tunneling through Rin and crumbling his rationality away.

She closed in on him and the first expression he'd seen her make appeared on her face.

Delight, sick joy, shown in the cruel quirk of her small smile. She was _excited_ about the experiments she was about to perform.

Her shadowed, gray eyes eclipsed the cold lights in the room.

Rin screamed behind the muzzle.

When the terror and pain stole his mind from him again, Rin welcomed it.

"Mark it, we'll compare the results to our records on tests done to the the other kings and various demons and humans when we wrap up for the night."

"Lewin, if you could," the waved gesture from Micah brought a delayed blink from Rin.

His eyes were blurry with tears and the blink scattered the light reflecting in them to blur his vision further so that he only saw a vague shape near him, too tired to flinch anymore.

When the muzzle was removed, even that relief hardly registered. Rin allowed the touch to his hair without a fight.

Lightning's hand left his hair, taking the muzzle with him and allowing Rin to drop back to the table, tear-streaked cheek pressed to the stained metal when he couldn't hold it up.

"Get an IV and some fluids in him, we'll let him recover then begin the flame test- do you have it, ah, good, thank you, Lewin," Ariette's voice drifted over Rin's head, words sinking through him to settle before he could comprehend them.

A flame test. His flames- they were giving him his flames back!

Hope kindled in his core.

Then Lightning came into view holding Kurikara in his hands and caressing it, smiling that smile that made Rin feel violated to have it directed at such an integral part of himself.

He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, thoughts dragging- tired, he was so _tired_.

Lightning smoothed his thumb over the hilt and Rin understood.

His heart, they had his _heart_.

"_Give it back_!" Rin howled, more animal than human, a wild fear and desperation scratching at his skin from inside at the sight of his heart in Lightning's hands.

"Give it back to me!"

Lightning looked up from his heart, curious frown on his face as if he'd just realized what he was doing.

"No can do, Rin, we need this," Lightning said, apology in his tone that didn't do anything to calm Rin.

"Ah, but you might wanna relax, or, you know," Lightning spun the muzzle around his finger from where he'd pulled it from his pocket and Rin jerked away, heart slamming hard into his ribcage.

But he stopped speaking, the remembered claustrophobia of the muzzle more terrifying than his mind could take.

"Stop playing with the sword, Lewin," Feris snapped, flicking a clawed finger to a glass encased tube by another observation room alongside the temperature chamber, "get it in the monitor and then get him in the testing room."

"Sorry, got kinda carried away, he wouldn't let me see this no matter how many times I asked."

"I can't imagine why," Ariette drawled as she came up to the computers next to the tube and began inputting commands.

Rin watched, helpless, as Lightning took his heart and set it away.

He shook in his bonds as Feris came up behind him to wheel him into the new chamber, this time in anticipation.

If he was going to escape, this would be his best shot.

His tongue darted across his chapped lips, dried blood flaking at the anxious move and sending his racing pulse into overdrive.

When Feris pulled the IV from his arm, Rin barely noticed, claws flexing against the steel table in long scratching movements.

The door shut, Rin trembled, staring blindly at the ceiling and waiting for his flames he hadn't stopped calling since they'd mentioned them.

A pop seemed to echo in his ears.

Rin's sight went blue, a roar tearing from his lips as everything vanished in a storm of fire.

Fear urged the flames ever higher, filling the small room and building with each moment.

Because he was still strapped to the table, and the walls held up to the barrage of intense heat.

Panic welled up from the fear, Rin tried the first desperate idea that came to him, directing all his fire at the wall he knew his heart lay behind.

A fire spout broke against the wall, taking some of Rin's hope and dashing it, too. Still, he poured more flames into the attack, refusing to abandon his one best chance to escape.

His lungs were burning, Rin had a brief moment to wonder why it was so hard to breathe.

Then he realized he'd used all the oxygen in the room and began to suffocate.

The flames cut out. Rin became aware of shouting beyond the door even as his mind faded.

"It's cracking!"

"Lewin, activate the seals, shut it down!"

A heavy noose wrapped around his neck, ears popping again, just as black swept across his vision and consciousness fell away.

"Hm, not nearly as high as levels recorded from the Blue Night. He's being hindered by having to channel the flames through the sword. We may have to break it after-all if we want to see any real results."

Break it?

"But we'll save that for after we've gathered as much as we can of the remaining tests. I think an endurance test as he is without the use of his flames for today, then we'll try again tomorrow with the flames and, depending on the results, repeat both or break the sword and take the risk that he may not survive."

Endurance test?

"Hey I don't want to tell you guys how to run your tests or anything, but I would be careful about messing with the sword, I'm not sure my seals are up to holding that much firepower back, you know?"

"Yes, as I said, we'll consider breaking the sword a last resort after we've gone through as much as we can as he is."

Rin gasped, gagging around a dry throat and eyes shooting open as he took heaving breaths of the oxygen he'd been deprived of.

The conversation between the nephilim and Lightning hit him right after and he turned his head to see Lightning held his heart again.

It was damaged.

Rin's stomach dropped seeing the blackened sheath. The wood had chipped and exposed the cracked metal, like it had been after the fight in the forest with Amaimon.

Lightning looked up and blinked, finally acknowledging that he was awake.

"Hey, Rin, back with us?" He shook the sword in his hand, "you did a real number on this, you might wanna be careful about that."

"What," Rin fell into a coughing fit until his dry throat felt raw and he healed, needing to understand the conversation he'd come back to, "what did you mean, about breaking it?"

His question got furrowed brows from Lightning until something like a pitying smile tugged at his mouth and he tapped a finger to the sword, "you mean they didn't tell you about what happens if you break this?"

Rin's hands clenched, dread pricking needles deep into him, but he couldn't stop from asking, "who didn't tell me, and what happens if it breaks?"

A scoff came from Feris, squinting down at Rin as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "you're pretty dense, aren't you, isn't it obvious?"

"Be nice to the boy, Feris," Micah chided, much to the irritated scowl Feris gave in return, "it's not really fair to expect someone in his situation to be able to deal with a creature as experienced in manipulation as Samael."

Time slowed, Mephisto's name lashing at his mind while his heart squeezed under a suddenly too tight cage.

"As for what happens if the sword breaks," Micah continued, glancing back at Lightning, "well, the dam will be broken too, your flames come back in full from Gehenna, and your physical body may or may not be able to take that much power."

"You die, if you can't," Lightning added, shrugging, "which would be a real bummer because then we definitely can't use you against Satan and all this is for nothing."

Rin had stopped listening.

They knew- they had to have known, it was impossible not to.

He started to tremble, face heating with the tears biting at his eyes and he _refused_ to cry in front of Lightning, of all people!

But-

They _knew_.

A silent sob broke against his lips where he pressed them together so hard it hurt, panting through his nose to try to stop the pain of betrayal.

Mephisto and Amaimon had told him a million times to take care of his heart, the source of his power and his greatest weakness, too.

But they'd never told him why, or what would happen if it broke.

He'd never thought to ask.

He'd trusted them.

Rin shoved his cheek hard to the table, feeling a hot tear escape through his clenched eyelids despite himself and hating that he couldn't stop.

The floodgates opened and shivering, soundless cries escaped with the tears he wasn't able to keep back anymore.

"Oh, hey, no, it's okay, Rin."

The placating words of comfort from Lightning sent a wracking shudder through Rin, black hatred curdling in his stomach as he glared at the smile on his face.

But he didn't speak, knowing if he tried his sobs would come out, and he couldn't take that humiliation on top of the betrayal still attacking the cracks in his mind.

When Lightning saw his glare, it seemed to trigger a thought, hand coming up to rub at his chin, "that reminds me, there's something I've been wondering about for a while now."

Ariette looked up from where she and Micah had been going over a tablet display, "is this something that's actually relevant to anything, Lewin?"

The pointed question made Lightning laugh in self-deprecation, "well, maybe just to satisfy my own curiosity, I guess."

"Your nosiness, don't try to pretty it up," Feris sniped from another monitor, gray eyes rolling at Lightning before he went back to his work.

Rin ignored the bantering, unease slowing his tears as he stared up at Lightning, waiting for the question, knowing he wasn't going to like it.

"So," Lightning began, tapping the sword to his hip as he laid his thoughts out, "it's been bugging me ever since I met you that first time, but what's up between you guys, you know, you, Sir Pheles, and Amaimon."

An immediate hiss erupted from Rin, breaking his silence, "that's none of your _fucking_ business!"

The blazing anger didn't stop him, and neither did the dangerous growl that built up in Rin's chest.

Lightning blinked as if taken aback, "I mean, at first I was pretty positive you and Sir Pheles were a thing- you know, what with those really suggestive claw marks on his desk and the way he really, really, didn't like me touching you- that whole super interesting demonic claiming thing and all."

"Are you talking about his relationship business, seriously, Lewin? This isn't a soap opera," Feris said, grumbling as if Lightning wasn't treating Rin's life like his own personal drama he could pick through however he chose.

But Lightning just laughed again, "like I said, I considered it, but gotta admit I was thrown off when I saw you with Amaimon in my class- which, that's gotta be crazy, the earth king is _not_ known to be a gentle lover, nevermind what Samael's known for."

Hatred. Sick, twisting, hatred, had Rin freezing against the table as a thin whisper of heated air escaped between his teeth.

A sigh from Ariette drew Lightning's attention from where he was lost in his perverse daydreams about _Rin's_ _claims_.

"No you're right on both accounts, I can see both their claims on him."

"Holy shit, Rin," Lightning said, gaze jerking back to him, "I think I would actually kill to be in your position, how do you even have the energy?"

Hate. He hated him.

Rin had never hated anyone in his life, he'd never thought he'd had the capacity for such a dark, all consuming emotion.

His eyes were wide, zeroed in on Lightning, and he couldn't take them away from the steady pulse in the throat he longed to sink his fangs into and _tear_.

The thought of killing, of murdering, Lightning had never been so tantalizing.

He trailed his tongue over his elongated fangs, over his parted lips, imagining, the rest of the world fading in a red haze.

"Focus, Lewin," Ariette sighed again, then stopped, staring at whatever information had caught her attention on the monitor.

"How did anyone miss this?" The awed whisper from Ariette had Rin's murderous intent replaced by anxiety from one heartbeat to the next.

The others came to see what she'd discovered, leaving Rin alone to worry over what the flame test had revealed.

"Somebody messed up big time," Lightning said, whistling when he read the data.

"Yeah, us," Feris growled, claws flexing on the edge of the monitor, "he was right there but you guys said leave him, I kept saying he would have been a good control, even if he didn't have the flames."

Him?

"He's had such extensive testing throughout his life," Ariette said to herself, tapping a finger to her lip, "this- the flames he's carrying, they appear to be concentrated in his eyes, they must be a recent development."

"It can't be helped, though it'll be so much harder now that they're on guard," Micah determined, calculations running behind his eyes as he walked away from the monitor, glancing at Rin as if knowing his next words were going to bring an explosion

"I'm sorry, Rin, we had thought we could avoid this," there did seem to be real regret in Micah's eyes, it didn't make Rin feel better, "we'll have to bring the twin, Yukio Okumura, in, too."

It took a brief, breath-stealing second for Rin to process that.

"_Don't you fucking dare_!"

"Lewin, shut him up!" Feris shouted over Rin's screams.

"_I'll kill you, I'll kill you, don't touch him_!"

Yukio- they were going after Yukio! The one who didn't have any kind of demonic healing to protect him, who would have no defenses to the torture, the _literal_ _torture_ he was undergoing, who Rin was supposed to protect.

They were going after his baby brother.

Desperate fear sent his pulse wildly rushing, his heart pounding, his body thrashing, and his flames beating at his skin from the inside.

A hand like iron slammed his skull to the table in a sickening crack, Rin's vision blurred in a kaleidoscope nightmare of whirling colors as a sticky warmth matted his hair at the back of his head.

He lay, dazed, a groan making it past his numbed lips as rough fingers latched the muzzle back around his mouth.

"We'll let him heal, then wrap everything up with the endurance test," Ariette's voice came over the heavy water muffling Rin's senses.

He didn't have it in him to care about whatever they would be subjecting him to next, about whatever an endurance test would entail.

Yukio.

They were going after Yukio.

Rin tried not to let the helplessness consume him utterly.

If they brought Yukio, if they managed to take him from under the Order's- from _Mephisto's_ watch, then Rin would have to be strong for the both of them.

"We'll have to take him to the lowest levels for the fights, Lewin, move him to the elevator, please."

He thought he couldn't breathe, the bite of the muzzle cutting into him until he strangled in his bonds.

The cold metal doors closed on the cramped elevator.

Rin stopped fighting the urge to cry.

* * *

The entirety of Assiah spread out for him, an ever shifting, growing, dying web of life that pulled at his self, each small creature demanding his undivided attention, all as simultaneously important and meaningless as any other, and all making up the concept of earth, all making up Amaimon.

This deep into his aspect, Amaimon couldn't afford a single distraction or risk complete unbecoming.

_Rin_.

That wouldn't be a problem, Amaimon wouldn't let it be a problem.

He tracked the winding tangle of life and death and earth to the bits of himself he'd put into the gift he'd created for Rin.

The simple gift of diamond formed around the deep red carnation Rin had tucked into his hair behind his ear that night of the summer festival would lead him to Rin.

Amaimon couldn't afford to think otherwise, to doubt would be to lose everything.

His thoughts traveled an ever expanding path. The dark, overwhelming blanket of Samael's power eclipsing his awareness and blinding him until he could move beyond it.

Ever further, the concept of earth drifted, pulled along the whirling eddies and out to sea, a single atom of a grain of sand tugged along the bottom of a vast cosmic ocean.

_Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin_

The concept of time had told it that Rin's gift, the red flower, meant he ached for its love.

The concept of earth didn't understand such a vague, amorphous, _human_, thing like love.

But if it lost Rin it didn't think it ever would.

So the concept rode the current, letting it pull it deeper, further, farther away.

It had never gone this far before.

_Rin._

_Rin…_

_Ri…_

… _It couldn't…_

_It couldn't remember…_

_Find him..._

_Find him._

_FIND HIM._

_There!_

A single spark, a fragment of a fragment of what made the concept of earth up, clutched close to a brilliant blue core of flame, beautiful warmth in the cold expanse of an uncaring cosmos.

Amaimon held the location to his heart, pulling himself and the knowledge of who he was back up, allowing the draw of Samael's power to bring him to his body.

He opened his eyes, once more contained in flesh and blood and bone, to Samael's still visage where he was sat over him.

Samael stared back, whether he was pleased or not that Amaimon hadn't lost himself was hidden behind an expressionless mask.

"I've got him," Amaimon said, knowing it was the only thing that mattered, in the end, to either of them.

Then froze, halfway to rising on his elbows, as Samael leant to press a kiss, lips cold from the winter chill, to Amaimon's crown.

It rested there, soft, a bare touch against his hair, while Amaimon forgot how to breathe until he pulled away.

His eyes were wide, body tensed in his confusion, as he searched Samael's face for any sign to explain why he was bothering with human gestures when Rin wasn't around to necessitate them.

"Good, Amaimon," Samael said, getting to his feet without explanation and leaving Amaimon floundering.

"Well? You nearly lost yourself for him, wouldn't want to have that be in vain by wasting time laying in the dirt," Samael said, wry smirk tugging at his mouth.

Rin.

Amaimon bowed his head as he stood, burying the strangeness of Samael's kiss under the more familiar clawings of finding Rin's captors and teaching them why they should never have touched what was his.

He nodded, snapping his fingers to bring them to Rin.

"Hm, still in Japan, but outside my territory" Samael murmured from his side as they examined the multilevel steel and glass office complex that greeted them.

"Let's go," Amaimon said, already stalking forward, clawed hand raised as Samael followed in his shadow.

A sharp gesture and the metal doors shredded like so much shrapnel, a scream of protesting beams and shattered glass covering the screams from the humans hidden inside.

Amaimon would tear every one of those humans out by the root until he had Rin back.

The earth rocked with each step Amaimon took, glass raining down overheard when they made it over the threshold and into the building.

A human tried to run past them, Samael snapped his fingers and they were turned into fine, red mist.

Blood now sprayed in the air, it's scent only heightening the instincts driving Amaimon onward.

Another human, this one Samael gestured to bring to him, ignoring the fearful cries to question it.

Amaimon didn't bother listening, the why's and who's of Rin's capture meaningless to him as he followed his gift like a compass pointing straight to Rin in his mind's eye.

An elevator, Amaimon destroyed that too, dropping into the bowels of the building and halting his fall in a screech of claws into metal as he stopped where his nose told him there were demonic presences.

He tore open the metal elevator doors to the new level and heaved himself up, Samael floating in after him to land with a deceptively light step in the tiled hallway.

The fluorescent lights flickered, some shattering entirely with the shaking earth, until they made it to a lab.

"Rin was here," Samael said, unnecessary words, because Amaimon could smell Rin's fear, pain, tears, blood- all assaulted his senses. The signs of torture.

They _dared-_!

Dark fury howled a storm in Amaimon's head. Outside he was silent, moving on from the lab without a sound to mark his passing.

The demonic presences Amaimon had sensed pulsed along his mind, he could feel them on this level.

Other weaker creatures, humans and the diluted offspring of demons and humans, died, dropping like flies under his power.

He traced his tongue over his mouth, finding it covered in blood spray.

They came to a heavy door, Amaimon yanked it into the opposite wall while Samael crooked a finger and dragged the two who'd been trying to escape out into the hall with them.

Samael squeezed and Amaimon smiled to hear cracking bones and agonized cries.

But the pressure let up, the captured demons gasping around their now shattered ribs.

Amaimon circled the soon to be dead, getting a good look at the creatures that carried Rin's pain on them and deciding which he would be rid of first.

"I believe you have something of mine," Samael purred, acid green, slit-pupiled eyes sliding along the two like a knife.

"You're who took Rin," Amaimon didn't mince words, claws digging into the woman's scalp when he clenched them to pull her head back, exposing the rapid-beating pulse.

"Ngh- how did you find us, we were so careful," the man asked, words thick with the blood from his pierced organs spilling from the corners of his mouth.

The woman just glared from hateful gray eyes.

"Did you really think you could hide him from me?" Samael cocked his head to the side, a cat playing with a mouse.

Samael continued when it looked like they wouldn't respond, "but that's unimportant, we had a deal, Mr. Lewin and I, so I'm curious about what made him decide to join your likes,"

"Humans are deal breakers," Amaimon said, scoffing and releasing the grip on the woman's hair to circle around again, sneering at her blood staining his claws as if it were something dirty.

"Not with me, they're not. Not without consequences," Samael narrowed his eyes at the two shivering nephilim, rubbing his clawed fingers together as if imagining using them to get his point across.

"Well," Amaimon bared his fangs, fully extended in savage delight, "these are the consequences, Samael."

"Yes, it just remains to be seen what those consequences are going to be."

The smile dropped from Amaimon's face, as he wondered what path Samael's vengeance would take.

"Now, let's get back to the part where you tell me who you are and what you wanted with Rin and I won't let Amaimon flay you alive, hm?"

Amaimon glowered, not understanding why Samael needed his theatrics when they could just get the information another time.

But Samael wouldn't be denied and the man closed his eyes, defeat showing as he realized how caught he really was.

Finding out about Azazel's bastard nephilim and their plan to use Rin's flames to strike back at Father had Amaimon flexing his claws, any interest he had in the proceedings evaporating.

Another sect of fools in their eternal war, once again taking something from Amaimon for whatever justified reason they thought they had.

It would be for Samael to determine their fates, then, his role in the war giving him rights to their information.

"What will you do with us?" The woman growled, fearful gaze flicking to where Amaimon eyed them down from Samael's side as he wondered if he needed both.

Though, if they were thinking Amaimon was a worse fate, well…

"You should have picked Amaimon's fury," Samael smiled, lips splitting in a warped stretch that revealed rows of bristling fangs as he dropped his human facade completely, "my punishment for taking what is mine will make you _long_ for it."

Wide, terror-filled eyes and mouths dropped in cut-off shouts disappeared from view in a count of three as Samael collected his due.

"Now, let's continue to our Rin, Amaimon," Samael said, still smiling, pleased at the future suffering he would be inflicting on the nephilim that had dared move against him.

Amaimon didn't care, they would die either way and, with an eternity to consider, killing them immediately was the same as killing them a hundred years from then.

Getting to Rin was more important.

They returned to the elevator, the tether of his gift urging him on, though at this point he could find Rin by scent alone.

Only to freeze, stumbling to a standstill and feeling Samael do the same at his side.

A surge of power, like that of Father's, overwhelming and calling to him over that of his gift, brought Amaimon to his knees.

He snapped a wide eyed look to Samael, suspecting, but hoping his suspicions were wrong. Knowing they weren't.

"He's broken the sword- his heart, his flames are back in full," Samael breathed the words that could mean Rin's death.

Amaimon didn't wait, throwing himself into the abyss.

_Rin._


	3. What is Dark, Illuminate

Were Samael's original plans for Rin's awakening any kinder to Rin? Objectively, yes. Subjectively, Rin needs a long vacation and a few fluffy fics to overcome what he keeps getting put through.

Notes: I hope Mephisto knows a good therapist because they're all gonna need one after this chapter :D

* * *

Rin darted his gaze around the chamber, eyes wild, panting in ragged breaths. A snarl tore past his lips and he wrenched at the demon clawing in futility against him.

The crack of bones and squelch of rending flesh had stopped making him flinch a long while ago.

Now he just searched for his next target.

A new hobgoblin threw itself at him, Rin met it in a whirl of slashing claws and grappling limbs.

He roared his agony, then his victory, swallowing the dying gurgles from the gaping hole he'd ripped in the hobgoblin's esophagus.

Another latched it's fangs deep into his thigh in his distraction and Rin dropped to his knees as the muscle weakened and failed.

Clothes, already darkly colored and stained from the previous torture, were soaked in the gore drenched floor Rin scrabbled on in his struggle with the hobgoblin.

Rin won that fight, too.

But it was getting harder and he was taking longer to heal.

They wouldn't let him rest, sending waves of hobgoblins, weak, even in hoards, and far beneath Rin's level.

It didn't matter, after enough of them.

More came, their hyena laughter and chittering growls no longer sparking the adrenaline rush that had gotten him through the first waves.

He stumbled to his feet and hunched forward to present a smaller hitbox for them to aim for, keeping his back to the wall to give them fewer angles to attack from.

Rin had learned that early on, to wait for them, conserve energy, let them wear themselves out and only go for-

His claws gouged into the eyes of the next demon to attack, punching through to the skull so Rin could swing its body into the wall with crushing force.

-Only go for kill shots, he finished internally, a reminder, though he didn't know if it really mattered in the end.

Flames beat at his insides, fighting to break free, a rush of nearly endless energy caught beneath the seals and only serving to steal the concentration from Rin's mind.

Falling to his instincts now wouldn't help him, Rin knew, sweat and blood burning at his eyes where it slid down his matted hair.

But focus was getting harder to hold as exhaustion made his hits sloppy, his dodges half-hearted, and his determination falter.

Rin couldn't stop the next hobgoblin, twisting with the force that spun his body in a pained torque until the floor rose up to meet him.

"_Ah-_!" He gagged, scream cut off by the fangs now lodged in his collar, grinding into the bone and whiting out his vision.

It hurt. It hurt so much and he just wanted it to _stop_. He wanted everything to stop.

His claws clutched at the heavy body over him, movements sluggish as he tried to remember why he was fighting.

Why was he fighting?

Why…?

He had to...

_He had to get back to them._

Rin blinked to find himself surrounded by more cooling corpses.

He had to get back to them, to Amaimon and Mephisto, Kuro and his brother, Shura and his friends.

And he wasn't going to die fighting a bunch of hobgoblins.

A new wave swarmed the chamber.

Rin took a step.

His foot slipped on the blood slicked floor.

He collapsed.

He couldn't stand up.

_I'm_ _sorry_.

_I'm..._

"Much longer than I expected from him."

"Let's start on the data then."

This time, when awareness tugged Rin into consciousness, a persistent headache followed.

When was the last time he'd ever had a headache? Not since he'd still thought he was just a human.

A nauseated groan sent bile stinging the back of his throat.

"Hey, I think he's gonna-"

Rin heaved, the stew from the potluck coming back up as he coughed to the side of the table he'd woken up bound to again.

"And I think that's our sign to call it a night, someone please get him a toothbrush and a shower," Ariette said, nose wrinkling in distaste at the mess Rin lay panting in.

Sleep. He could finally sleep. Rin would have cried again if he weren't so full of bone-deep, soul-weary exhaustion.

He fell into a daze as he was moved to another room, a small cell with more of the dampening seals placed on the walls that further numbed his body and mind.

But it had a shower and sink with a toothbrush and toothpaste. It even had a bed, a simple futon laying against the wall on the floor, and nothing had ever looked so comfortable to Rin in his life.

When the clamps keeping him to the table were released, Rin twitched, finding he couldn't even take advantage of the brief freedom to tear his captors apart.

They left without a word, the door closing in finality, and Rin was alone.

Shuddering breaths were the only thing that he managed for an uncountable amount of time, long enough for the pool of bile to go cold on his skin.

He had to move, he couldn't stay where he was. It still took Rin another long while before he could heave his body off the table.

His legs shook when they hit the floor, then gave out when an uncontrolled seizure jerked through him and sent him crashing the rest of the way down.

"_Ahn- ha-ah,_" he couldn't- he couldn't-

Violent sobs tore from his throat as Rin gave up keeping them back.

A long keen echoed in his ears, the sound muffling as he curled into a tight fetal position and shivered with the fear and helplessness.

But he couldn't keep it up and the room echoed with ringing silence instead.

Eventually, Rin lifted himself from the floor and moved to the shower, strangely detached but unable to do anything except what they'd told him to just then.

Somehow he got his ruined clothes off, the red pile dropped to lay at his feet before he stepped into the small shower and searched for the knob to activate it.

Rin sank to his knees, head bowed under the light pressure that felt like it weighed the world.

The hot water couldn't penetrate the cloud around his mind, even though he turned it as high as it would go and his skin pinked and wrinkled.

Steam filled the small room- the cell, his cell, and he thought he might have blacked out for a moment before his head listing to crack against the hard wall woke him up again.

He got out of the shower, moving on automatic to turn off the water, and stood, looking at his bruised eyes in the metal mirror above the sink.

Brush his teeth, right, he had to do that, still.

Getting the sour taste out of his mouth helped, but it lingered at the back of his throat, even after multiple brushings. Rin realized it was all in his head.

Somehow he made it to the futon.

Sleep came to him and Rin slipped away, hoping he could find peace in unconsciousness.

He found nightmares.

Hands gripped at his hair, body pressing hard over his, a touch that wasn't supposed to be there, by a person who wasn't supposed to be touching him, a dirty, unwashed scent, disgusting and filling his senses until he suffocated under a heavy blanket.

_Please please please please_

_Get him off me._

Mephisto, get him _off_ _me!_

Amaimon, please, don't let him look at me.

_Please._

Two glittering, slit-pupiled eyes stared at him from a shifting darkness.

But no one came for him and the hands were joined by knives and claws tearing into his body, flaying him to the bone.

Then he was nothing at all.

Rin faded into the abyss, too exhausted to escape his dreams.

He was alone with his terrors… until he wasn't, anymore.

His eyes slid open, the darkness clear to him with his pupils already slit into their demonic form, though that wouldn't have made a difference without a source of light, like his flames.

There was a source of light. It came from an open door.

Rin had a moment to register the person in the room with him before he launched himself from the bed in a single, desperate move

Something cold clamped around his tail, a chant sounded and agony electrocuted his entire body, sending him to a crash on the floor at the person's feet.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

Rin glared up at the warning, panting as the aftershocks went through his raw nerves, and saw Feris sneering with exposed fangs.

"What do you want?" Rin growled, staring from under his still damp hair that stuck to his forehead. If he'd had his flames, he would have been dry in the time it took to worry about it. He didn't have his flames.

Fear wormed into his heart. It couldn't have been that long that they'd left him in the cell, and something about the way Feris looked at him had his hackles raising.

His wariness didn't go unnoticed and the sneer widened into a fang-filled smirk as Feris took a step closer to Rin.

He couldn't help it, Rin fell back, pulling himself along the floor until he hit the wall.

Shoulders hunched and he bared his fangs in a toothless threat, because Rin was naked, defenseless and Feris was getting closer.

"I guess you could say I'd like to get to know who the spawn of Satan really is, once you get past all his layers."

Rin stayed silent, hoping his racing heartbeat wasn't as loud as it felt so he wouldn't give Feris the satisfaction of knowing just how terrified he was.

"Though, really, who you associate with tells me everything," Feris said, shaking his head in mocking disappointment that had Rin clenching his claws into the sheets under him.

"What does that mean?" Rin said, a flash of anger pushing up from the fear. He had a feeling he knew.

Something changed behind Feris' eyes, a new edge of danger pulsing through Rin's senses as he stepped closer yet again.

"Those two bastard demon kings of yours."

The hissed reply gave Rin a second to realize he was in deeper water than he'd thought.

Then Feris was too close.

Rin croaked, airway constricted by an unforgiving hand. He struggled to free himself, red sprays staining the claws dug into Feris in deep rents.

A chant sounded and Rin screamed, seizing where he was trapped to the wall until the electricity ceased and he hung, limp, in Feris' hold.

"All those bastards, the Baal, the Sol, they all think we're nothing but ants, their playthings," Feris continued where he left off, not even acknowledging Rin's gasping breaths.

"Even Azazel, the one Lewin practically _worships_, used us like pawns in their war- he's still using us from that hunk of rock he's hiding in!" Feris spat the words out, shouting in Rin's face as he grew more incensed.

Rin couldn't breathe, he couldn't _breathe._

His pulse roared in his ears as his vision faded, only the steel-bright fanaticism in Feris' eyes making it through.

He was going to die, he was-

"Feris, that's enough."

Who?

"Feris!"

The claws around his throat eased, and shaking, heaving breaths whooshed from his aching lungs until his spinning vision righted itself and he recognized who else was in the room with them.

"Tch, I wasn't going to kill him, Lewin," Feris said, though he didn't let Rin go and the denial came out harsh and too quick, "what are you even doing here?"

Rin peered at the slice of light coming from the open door, no longer blocked by Lightning as he moved further inside.

Lightning stopped a few feet from behind Feris, hands shoved in his pockets, though when Rin met this gaze he couldn't read any expression.

"Well?" Feris snapped, fangs extending as he turned away from Rin when Lightning didn't respond.

But Lightning just moved to the wall opposite the shower and leant back against it to watch them, "I figured you might try something like this so I just came to make sure you didn't go too far."

Too far, what did he mean, too far?

Rin broke out in a cold sweat, gaze flicking between the two threats surrounding him, boxing him into the cell.

Their scents mixed with the acrid smell of bile and drying blood and his own pain staining the metal table in the room with them.

He could see Feris weighing Lightning's words, narrowed eyes and a scowl twisting on his lips before he nodded once.

Then that focus was back on him and the claws around his neck tightened until Feris remembered himself and loosened his grip again.

"What I can't figure out, is why anyone would willingly fall in with those two," Feris said when Rin refused to speak.

His pulse jumped when Feris used his clawed thumb to tilt his head, running it in a warning line over the artery there.

"I especially don't get why you in particular would be their little _bitch_."

A furious snarl burst from Rin's lips at the insult but when he opened his mouth to bite, Feris sneered down at him and the tail control activated and anything he was about to say was lost to the pain.

Sweat plastered his hair to his flushed skin, even that sensation only adding to the fire his nerve endings were on.

It finished and his mind came back to him in increments of self, but one thing stayed at the forefront.

No one, especially some second-rate demon, got to talk about _his_ _claims_ like that.

"Go…" Rin panted, air gasping out of his abused lungs.

"...Go to hell," he finished, vitriol dripping from the words like acid.

But Feris just smiled and tapped his cheek, the unwanted touch making Rin tremble in sheer, white-hot rage.

"What do the humans say?" Feris said, smile slicing wide across his face and baring needlepoint teeth as he finished his rhetorical question, "hell is here, and the demons walk among us."

Rin opened his mouth, whether to growl or bite or do _something_ to get across to Feris how little he cared about his cliches.

"I mean, it's kinda obvious, Feris, if you think about it," Lightning's casual tone broke the staredown and he was subjected to two snarls.

"Ah sorry, I'll just tell you and butt out again, 'kay?" Just his voice made Rin want to lash out, and he already knew whatever Lightning had to say would be a painful truth.

Or a private matter of Rin's he had no business talking about, especially to Feris.

"You keep forgetting he's like you, Feris, half-human," Lightning smiled as his reminder had Feris gritting his teeth until the enamel squeaked at the force.

"Get on with it, Lewin," Feris said, a low growl following that Lightning kept smiling through.

"Well, the kid's in love." Rin's eyes widened while Lightning just shrugged, idly scratching at his hair, as if he had any right to say that.

How _dare- _he'd, he'd _kill-_

Feris laughed, a cruel burst from his chest as he closed his eyes and shook his head. His hand went to his hip, though he still wouldn't release Rin from the wall.

A vibrating growl built up inside Rin. He felt far away from the hand on his neck and the pain his body kept healing away.

A burning _hate_ _anger_ _rage_ had taken over instead.

His head filled with it even as his body stayed limp in a false submission and he stared from glassy eyes between the two men.

Feris didn't see it, but Lightning's expression tightened.

Feris kept going, his laugh discordant and harsh in Rin's ears while something built inside of him that had been missing the entire long night.

"You actually care for them- no, you _love_ them!"

No one, _no one_ was allowed to bring that up, not when they had been dancing so delicately around the abyss of what they felt for each other.

Not when they'd come so far, with such a steep climb ahead of them still.

Rin had let them know, in words and gestures, in all the ways he could, so when the time came that they were comfortable...

...That Mephisto and Amaimon could say the words too.

Rin shivered, an ugly hatred eating away at his body and building like the simmering flames beneath his skin.

Lightning uncrossed his arms, a warning frown on his face when Feris just continued his tirade.

'You know they don't know what that is, right?" A sick grin curled on his face as he shook Rin against the wall.

Rin could barely hear him, lost in what had started taking over the moment Feris had brought up Amaimon and Mephisto.

_Amaimon, are you mine? I like you, a lot._

_I like you too, Mephisto._

He'd let them know without exact words the night of the summer festival and hadn't done more than hint at it since, had held himself back because he knew how terrifying a step it was to take.

Knew how hard it was for Amaimon to work to understand his emotions and humans and that he tried for Rin anyway.

Knew how gentle Mephisto was with him when he wasn't with anyone else, tempering his worst traits for Rin.

And Feris thought he could use that word like it was so simple, something to attack Rin with like he hadn't been aching to say it the moment he'd realized he felt it.

The smile became saccharine, a pitying tilt to Feris' eyes at Rin's threatening growls. He leaned in, his face in biting range as he murmured the next words.

"You're their possession, their _toy_."

The grip on Rin's jaw turned bruising, Feris bringing his other hand to press down on Rin's trembling shoulder, exposing his throat.

"They don't love you, they can't."

His fangs slid over the sensitive skin of Rin's ear where it had extended to a long point and on to the pounding artery where he laved his tongue once in a broad sweep.

Everything narrowed down to that one point of contact, Rin hyper aware of where those fangs were headed, of what Feris' intent was.

"Why don't you let me claim you, Rin," Feris said into the meat of his shoulder, lips brushing against him with each word and a hot breath puffing to send his no longer damp hair tickling at his skin.

Rin wasn't trembling anymore, his growls had tapered off. His pulse no longer rushed through him, his heart beat steady, slow, like a predator lying in wait.

"Hey, Feris," Lightning's voice came as if from miles away and Rin's head lolled to the side so he could set his sights on him.

Fear shone there, Rin let his tongue out to trace over his elongated fangs and lips stretched in a parody of a smile.

"Feris, something's up with him, back off, it's time to go," the fear was in Lightning's voice too. Rin liked hearing it.

A strange spark kindled in his core, waiting for a final strike to set it ablaze.

"He needs a human touch alongside a demon's, Lewin, I'm going to show him what those two bastard kings of his can't."

"Feris!"

Fangs slid into his neck. A body pressed to his. A knee shoved between his legs.

A claim tried to cover Mephisto and Amaimon's.

The last match lit and Rin's veins burned with liquid fire.

Everything burned.

He wasn't afraid anymore.

He was furious.

* * *

Samael forced himself to wrap the cloak of Mephisto around him again, knowing Rin would need that more than anything when he regained his mind.

If he was still there to regain it and hadn't died, consumed by his own flames.

Mephisto cursed, dropping down the elevator shaft after Amaimon to find the source of that burning power, to their Rin.

This wasn't the plan, the complaint drifted through his thoughts as they reached the basement level and took off for the blue flicker coming from the end of the hallway.

He caught that thought and strangled it, having come to terms with the original plan's failure the moment Amaimon had decided Rin was his and drawn Mephisto in too, not that he'd quite realized it at the time.

But watching Amaimon almost lose himself without a moment's hesitation- like a _fool_, had given him several things to consider while he'd rearranged his plans.

They vanished, appearing before the open door to the room that held Rin.

Amaimon jerked to a halt, a hiss punched out from between his teeth in shock at what he saw.

Heat pulsed out in a blanketing wave, bringing with it the scents inside.

Burnt flesh and fresh blood.

It was a fight to contain his own hiss, his breath coming out in a controlled exhale instead to avoid drawing attention to their arrival.

Not that it did any good.

Warped eyes rose to meet theirs, pupils each a hypnotizing blue flame to mirror the ones eating at the remainders of whatever hadn't been made of metal.

When they didn't move any closer, Amaimon's spine tripwire tense while Mephisto kept his body completely lax, those blue eyes focused back on what Rin had been working at before the interruption.

A crack echoed, followed by the sound of muscle being pulled away from bone, and finally, chewing.

The only thing holding Lewin's head to his neck was Rin's hand, claws crushed through the back of the skull like it was an eggshell.

Rin swallowed the last bit of jugular he'd ripped from Lewin's shattered vertebrae, long, tapered tongue winding around his newly black-claw tipped fingers to collect the mess running down them

Some primal creature that Mephisto had covered up to protect Rin scratched it's bloody way back to the surface.

Because surrounded by the heady flames of Father with moon-white hair and furred tail now stained in the gore of his torturer, his captor, in full, demonic glory…

Rin was _beautiful_.

He made the mistake of taking a step forward.

Rin's head snapped up, Lewin's body dropping from his hands, forgotten, as he leapt for them, his new targets, with a vicious roar that shook the room.

It jolted Mephisto back to reality, a snap of his fingers stopping Rin a foot away from where he had been about to dig a fist into his vulnerable stomach.

Amaimon bit off a sound that, were it anyone else, Mephisto would have called a whimper.

Whether it was one of distress or he'd been feeling what Mephisto had been was something he couldn't say.

They were both stuck with what to do with Rin, now, Mephisto gesturing to send Rin back a few feet into the room alongside where a metal table had been blasted to dent the wall.

Ashes from whatever had been burnt in Rin's awakening stained the cracked tiles.

But something shown in the soot, reflecting the blue light of Rin's flames.

Amaimon saw it at the same time Mephisto did and a quick slice of his hand brought the gift they'd been following to Rin.

Soot flaked away to reveal the clear diamond and the deep red carnation inside that Rin had given Amaimon, vanished without further contemplation.

Getting Rin back to himself, back to them, was more important.

How, was the question that Mephisto had to decide on an answer to.

It was a cruel parallel to how things had begun between the three of them, but he knew of one way to divert Rin's instincts away from killing anything that moved.

Mephisto grimaced, sharing a look with Amaimon at the still struggling Rin where he lashed against the force keeping him in place.

The glaze of animal terror and fury hadn't left yet with Lewin's death- and he doubted it would without intervention.

After a particularly violent shriek and the sounds of something snapping, Mephisto sighed and stepped forward, shaking his head when Amaimon moved to do the same. Rin would see Amaimon as weaker than him and it could lead to things getting bloody.

Well, bloodier. Mephisto hid another sigh as he watched a strip of shredded flesh slip from between Rin's fangs with his screams.

Rin's snarls turned blood-curdling as Mephisto stepped into his space, his frantic attempts to break free only worsening the damage he'd done to himself and reaching a fever-pitch when Mephisto was just a foot away.

"Still such a handful, Rin," Mephisto said, voice soft, inaudible over the warning cries that were beginning to sound desperate with Rin's realization that he couldn't escape his bonds.

Rebirth was never easy, but Mephisto wouldn't have chosen this particular path for Rin, hadn't, in fact.

He closed the distance, forcing himself to relax, it would hurt less if his body wasn't tensed, Mephisto knew, as he snapped to remove his clothes for the inevitable mess. His tail flicked once behind him as he stretched it out. Then he moved into range.

No amount of preparation could stop the grunt of pain as Rin clamped his mouth over his shoulder, fangs sinking in until they met bone and crunched.

Aside from the growl he couldn't keep back, the room fell silent. Only a soft sound came from behind him as he heard Amaimon shift, most likely an abortive move to come to them.

"Stay back, Amaimon," Mephisto said around grit teeth, a reminder, in-case he needed it, as Rin worried into the bite opposite his shoulder currently suffering the worst of his body's degradation.

His reminder got him a 'tsk' from Amaimon but he heard him settle and focused back on the demon at his throat.

Rin couldn't differentiate from his captors- even though they'd all been slaughtered already, and anyone else. Including them. Mephisto winced at another shake of Rin's head, allowing his body to sway with the movement to mitigate the pain.

Snarls came from Rin's mouth, muffled into his shoulder and sending up bubbles in the blood that hadn't stopped its steady trickle down from the ragged tears.

Any moment now and Rin would recognize his claim on him, or at least he should, Mephisto estimated. He couldn't let Amaimon come close until then or Rin would register himself as surrounded by threats and sink further into his mind, subsumed by his instincts.

Silence.

The snarls had stopped. Rin had begun tracing his tongue to the rents his fangs had created in his shoulder, a slow caress of the tapered point sending painful shocks along Mephisto's nerve endings until his skin could heal.

Rin slid his fangs out, the wounds closed.

Then it was just pleasure.

Those lips that had been twisted in a horrible rictus on Rin's face now mouthed a hot path to Mephisto's throat, nosing at his artery and the pulse there.

A rumbled growl started up from Rin's chest, different, Mephisto noticed, deeper than the playful, sweet sounds that Rin tended to let out when he was pleased. The possessive edge sent a thrill through Mephisto, his own chest vibrating with an answering purr as he tilted his head back to encourage Rin's interest.

It was the right move to make. A breathy moan drifted past his parted lips as Rin bit bruises into his neck, whining when he couldn't do anything else.

He freed Rin from his control subtly, his power waning so that Rin didn't startle back into fight mode and tear his head from his shoulders in a panic.

Rin settled down, a tap of the bare pads of his feet and click of his clawed toes to the tile the only warning Mephisto got.

"_Ah_!"

His world spun, crushing force slamming him to the floor, cheek fracturing on impact as Mephisto choked on a shout.

Claws dug into his hair, twisting it until Mephisto thought it would tear from his head as a body like a furnace kept him from moving.

Rin was already hard where he pressed up behind him, length a demanding slide along his entrance.

"_Mine_."

The guttural utterance of complete possession had Mephisto groaning, chest heaving, body shaking with anticipation as he arched his back and spread his legs in presentation to the dominant demon.

His blood rushed in his ears so that he almost missed Amaimon's muffled whine from where he stayed by the door.

Mephisto cracked his eye open, sweat trickling from his hairline to sting at it until tears rose on automatic to join where he'd begun to drool.

"Stay back, Amaimon," he gasped out again, eye closing when a deep growl from Rin warned him to stop talking or risk a more physical warning.

But it had been open long enough to see the way Amaimon leaned against the doorframe, blazing blue flames reflected in his gold eyes as he stroked his hand over his tail.

He'd sucked the tip where it pulsed in and out of his mouth and down his own throat, green scales already slicked with saliva.

And Amaimon had been hard under his black sweater and leggings, his other hand not attending his tail palming at his length in long drags meant to last, to enjoy the way Rin took Mephisto apart.

Rin jostled Mephisto, his hand leaving his hair only so he could dig his claws into his shoulder, uncaring of the rot there that Mephisto had kept hidden for so long.

The demon in Rin wouldn't be bothered by such a thing, one goal in mind.

His other hand pulled Mephisto's hips into a better position.

A heated breath puffed into the back of his neck, tongue darting over his vertebrae.

"_Mine_."

Possession, breathed against such a vulnerable spot where a single bite would destroy Mephisto's host body before he could stop it.

Mephisto couldn't stop the desperate moan at the thought if he'd tried.

He didn't want to try, he wanted to _submit_.

Rin moved without any warning, shoving into Mephisto in a snap of his hips, tearing his rim and snarling at the tight heat he found there.

Mephisto cried out, cheek pushed along the floor with the brutal force of Rin's thrusts, not given a chance to adjust to the demon rutting into him without mercy.

He clawed at the floor, gouging into the tile while his tail lashed to the side where he'd had the luck to drape it earlier.

A scream broke past his harsh pants for air when Rin grabbed his tail and yanked, pulling it like a leash on a disobedient dog to bring him to heel.

"_Haaa-_ ah!"

The agony stringing through his tail competed for the pleasure of Rin fucking into him, chasing his own pleasure and only occasionally hitting that sensitive point inside that blasted his mind into so many scattered atoms.

Rin grunted, fangs bared into the skin over his shoulder-blade, needlepoint tips drawing blood that he lapped at with erratic dips of his tongue.

Fire seared at the places Rin touched his fingers to, moving from his hold on Mephisto's now ruined muscle to his neck.

His throat constricted further, already difficult to breathe through from the sharp angle Rin had him bent at, his tongue lolling from his mouth to taste the _blood tears saliva_ wetting his face where they pooled.

A thought made him force his eye open again, finding Amaimon, needing to see how he looked and wondering if he would see himself reflected back.

Amaimon shook where he shoved against the wall, spread and locked legs barely holding his body up where they wedged at the floor.

Hazy, half-lidded gold eyes still managed to find Mephisto's as their gazes met across the room.

He was a wreck, both hands around his tail now as he pumped them over the scales and fucked into his mouth, throat moving with the tip shoved as far down as Amaimon could take it.

The sight, coupled with the changed angle now sending every thrust of Rin's to rub right where Mephisto needed him had him coming in a hot spray against the floor and his taut stomach.

Rin snarled as Mephisto clenched around him, his hold going excruciating on his tail and neck as he jerked into him until his own release filled Mephisto to the brim and dribbled out down the backs of his thighs.

Mephisto lay, gasping, shivering against the floor where Rin left him with a final lick in a long stripe up his spine.

Was he-?

Rin moved into a crouch, tail sweeping behind him in a slow curl of blue flame.

His warped pupils were locked on Amaimon where he'd paused his ministrations, tail sliding from his bruised, spit-slicked lips as he froze under Rin's direct attention.

Another heartbeat, Mephisto felt his breath hitch in warning, and Rin vanished to tackle Amaimon to the ground, dragging him into the room away from the wall and pinning him in place.

A long groan left Amaimon's mouth as Rin forced his head to the side to bare his throat. Though Amaimon willingly submitted, already pushing up into the hips over his and panting at the friction through his clothes.

But Rin wasn't reciprocating and Mephisto realized the hold he had on Amaimon was there so he could keep him still while he scented him out.

Rin hadn't determined whether Amaimon was a threat to him and Mephisto prepared to pull him off if he reacted before he saw his claim on Amaimon.

And the absolute fool of an earth king was acting like a cat in heat. The danger of having such a threat holding him down, coupled with the earlier bloodshed, had stripped his common sense from him.

It was hard to bring himself to curse Amaimon too much for the lack of control.

His arms shook, still not recovered from what Rin had done to him, but Mephisto made his limbs obey and propped himself onto his elbows off the floor.

He scraped claws through his tangled bangs, eyes wide to take in the way Amaimon's own hair twisted, green strands caught between Rin's fingers.

A mewl broke free from Amaimon, his tail brushing at Rin's, twining with it even as the flames at the end blackened his scales and sent a pained cry from him instead.

But the action seemed to be the tipping point Rin needed. He licked at Amaimon's throat, a pleased rumble making Amaimon go limp under him, waiting for his next move.

"_Mine_."

That was the signal Mephisto had hoped for, now he could settle back and enjoy the sight of Rin destroying Amaimon without fearing his actual destruction.

Amaimon knew it too, purr rising in him as he moved his hips in deliberate, sensual twists to Rin's, still hard from his efforts earlier and seeking more.

More was delivered.

Mephisto had a moment to mourn the loss of the black sweater he'd found especially for Amaimon before Rin raked his claws through it to get it off.

He couldn't find it in him to dwell on it for long. The sharp gasp Amaimon let out at the rough treatment he was being subjected to more than making up for it.

The sweater lay to either side of Amaimon's shuddering frame as Rin dragged his tongue to catch the trails of red he'd drawn to his stomach.

That left his leggings, already frayed and bloodstained from the massacre earlier but still intact. Mephisto raised his hand to vanish them, but Rin took care of that too, claws leaving Amaimon's head to tear the leggings apart, just enough to get the access he needed.

Seeing the red smeared patches of skin revealed by Rin's actions had Mephisto wanting to bite there to get more of the small, quick gasps Amaimon liked to release in the throes of pleasure.

Claws pierced yet more holes in those green leggings where Rin gripped Amaimon's thighs.

Mephisto squeezed his own together, still only having made it to rest on his arms, lower half sprawled in a tangle of limbs that he rubbed against each other while heat built back in his stomach.

The chorded muscles of Rin's arms flexed as he hauled Amaimon's hips up to meet his in a single abrupt move.

Amaimon yowled, tail whipping and coiling at the agony of being impaled like that.

Rin adjusted his grip, one leg bent to kneel on the floor, the other in a firm stance on his foot, giving him the necessary leverage to pound into Amaimon.

It was the same treatment he'd given Mephisto, the gagging breaths from Amaimon's constricted airway and ruthless mating into him showing exactly who the most dominant demon in the room was.

Mephisto watched Rin hike Amaimon's legs around his hips and wanted to bare his throat all over again, anything to get that sheer, overwhelming power focused back on him.

He stayed where he was, the pressure of Father's power- of _Rin's_ power keeping him on the floor where he'd been left.

The tail Amaimon had thought to wind around Rin's was now a prisoner, Rin dragging them together to wring more moans from Amaimon's throat until his voice came out raw.

Nothing was held back, even when Amaimon choked on his own saliva before he arched off the floor and jerked his chin up, throat exposed to Rin and Mephisto's gazes.

His eyes rolled in his skull, gold disappearing so only the whites showed as Rin ground into him, warped irises trained on the revealed weakness as if possessed.

Amaimon came against his chest, a long, shuddering cry preceding while he held the harsh curve of his body until he collapsed under Rin and his cry trailed off.

But Rin wasn't finished with him yet.

A relentless pace from Rin had Amaimon gasping with every slam into his hips, and Mephisto saw the moment it became too much.

Tears from the oversensitivity sprang into Amaimon's wide, unseeing eyes while his toes curled where Rin still held his legs up and his tail tightened so Amaimon couldn't escape.

When Amaimon started to let out distressed noises, writhing to get away before Rin snarled and snapped his fangs to send him limp in quivering submission, Mephisto began looking for a way to intervene.

Another glint of gold caught Mephisto's attention and he saw a tail control that hadn't been melted off when Rin had burned, though it had blackened, burnished from the intense flames.

He activated it.

Rin screamed, head thrown back as he released for the second time that night deep inside Amaimon, claws digging furrows into his skin until Mephisto freed him from the control.

Metal rang where it hit the floor.

Ragged breaths had Rin shaking where he bent over Amaimon, sweat dripping from his face after his exertions.

Mephisto held his own breath as he waited for the fallout.

The flames on Rin's tail flickered, dying in a hiss and leaving the room echoing with the last of Amaimon's shivering gasps.

Rin pulled out of Amaimon without a sound, setting him down in a gentle, careful movement.

He was back, Mephisto knew, but they were only part way there to getting Rin completely back with them.

A dull thud from Rin's knees hitting the floor sent tension stringing through Mephisto, waiting to see what Rin would do with what had happened to him tonight.

But Rin just bowed his head, shoulders hunching and hair shielding his eyes, palms flat to the stained tiles.

It was long enough for Amaimon to get his legs under him, wary hesitance at Rin's silence sending him back a few feet to give Rin space.

Claws scratching over tile had Mephisto pushing himself the rest of the way up as Rin clenched his hands into fists.

He would have to break the impasse, they had to get Rin out of his cell if they were going to help at all.

His gaze met Amaimon's again and he nodded when he saw him steady himself for the explosion they both knew was coming.

"Rin," Mephisto said, tone even, keeping anything that could be construed as pity from it because it would not be welcome.

It was enough.

Shudders started in Rin's body before he jerked his head up. His slit pupils no longer warped into flames in his eyes, but shimmered in the blue fire emanating from his demonic heart where it floated over his chest.

Were those flames covering tears?

Mephisto couldn't tell.

Rin stared at them, then, before they could stop him, tore his claws down his arms, a spray of arterial blood following.

"Stop it, what are you doing!" Amaimon burst out, reaching to Rin in such human panic that Mephisto forgot who the full demon was between the two.

Mephisto followed as Amaimon scrambled to Rin's side, yanking his claws from where they dug around in his arm.

"Get them out of me, get them _out_!"

He had to use his demonic powers to keep Rin from clawing straight back into himself, pulling him to his chest as Amaimon clutched Rin's hand to his own.

"Get what out, Rin, explain," Mephisto tried, not letting Amaimon's or Rin's panic affect him and maintaining his even tone.

"The implants- they put- they're in my skin, get them out!" Rin's voice broke, ending in a shriek that had Amaimon flinching at the volume.

Calm, he had to be calm, this shouldn't be having such an effect on him. Mephisto drew in a long breath through his nose, burying it in Rin's hair and running his hand over his chest in comfort.

"Shh, Rin, show me, let me help you, darling," he murmured, feeling Rin still in his hold.

A sob sent Rin bowing over the arm Mephisto had wrapped across his middle, though it cut off as he pointed, hand shaking, to several spots over his body.

Mephisto pressed a kiss to his hair, thumb tracing a warm circle at his stomach to distract him from where Amaimon cut the metal chips out as efficiently as he could.

They clattered to the floor, joining the tail control, the last of Rin's physical shackles.

If Lewin and that wretch of a nephilim hadn't already been dealt with, Mephisto would have torn them apart in the longest, most agonizing methods humanity had come up with, then done it all over again.

He satisfied the urge with the reminder that he still had the other two who'd dared to take what was his.

Rin had gone quiet again, slumping back to drop his head to Mephisto's shoulder and taking deep breaths where he hid his face in his neck.

"We need to go," Amaimon spoke up, voice firm, though his focus was locked on where Rin lay.

"We can't stay here," Mephisto agreed, brushing a finger to Rin's flushed cheek and clearing away the white hair mixing with his own purple bangs.

"Please take me home," Rin whispered into his throat, difficult to hear even with his demonic senses.

"Your dorm isn't in the best shape Rin, Amaimon lost control when he found you missing," Mephisto said after sharing another long look with Amaimon.

It just made Rin shake his head, small and hardly felt.

"No, your home, please take me home."

Silent tears started even as Mephisto's heart stalled in his chest at those words from Rin.

"I just want to go _home_, Mephisto," Rin said, then fell into wracking sobs, body trying to ball up in Mephisto's lap but hand still held tight to Amaimon like he was the only lifeline keeping Rin afloat.

Mephisto closed his eyes, an unusual emotion without a name pressing at him to acknowledge it that he ignored to snap his fingers and deposit them in his bathroom.

He rose with Rin in his arms, Amaimon standing to walk behind them, still holding Rin's hand as if afraid Rin would break down or disappear again if he wasn't.

Then it was only the sound of running water and the scent of steam, both doing little to cover the exhaustion pouring off of Rin.

Another snap and the remainders of the signs of torture vanished from Rin's body, skin scarless, white hair soft where it brushed against Mephisto until he set him down in the heated tub.

They joined him, the only things keeping Rin upright, not speaking and allowing Rin time to realize he wasn't in that place anymore.

When the water went cold, Mephisto brought them to his room, drying them in the same instance and resting Rin beneath the covers.

"You're home, Rin," he finally said, bringing Rin's head to tuck into his chest as Amaimon curled on his other side.

Rin didn't fall asleep for a long while, the bright blue flames of his heart reflecting in his dulled eyes.

They kept quiet vigil long after Rin passed into fitful dreams.

* * *

End Notes: If you thought Mephisto gets off too easy compared to what poor Amaimon went through in Incandescence, I invite you to read the recovery chapter... when I post it in a few days ;D

Also I am sorry for what I did to Lightning, believe it or not, I like his character XD


	4. Dance Two Steps, Fall Down Once

Summary: Gains are made for both Rin and Amaimon, some very important conversations are had between the three, and for both good and bad, things end up evening out to a solid neutral.

A/N: Uhh so like, this was supposed to encompass a Mephisto scene too. That got away from me and now this chapter is a solid 31 pages and the Mephisto scene had to go into chapter 5 (:

Things I have realized while writing the recovery scenes: writing romance is HARD send help pls I am not good at fluff.

Song of the Chapter: AURORA - Soft Universe (legendado): watch?v=pajr7gOyl2E

GUYS if you can, I HIGHLY recommend listening to this song while reading the chapter, like just do it (trust meeeee).

Also if anyone has any song recs pls send them my way!

PSA: I am on discord as TBOE and apart of the big aoex server on there too, so hit me up if you wanna scream about the show with someone because I am always down for that :D

* * *

Amaimon stared at the veins in Rin's hand that he still hadn't released after they'd made it to bed.

He traced his clawed thumb over a blue line, every heightened sense trained on the fluttering pulse.

Another shudder went through Rin and the fangs in his mouth extended as if he was trying to defend himself even in sleep.

Again, the parallels of how he'd planned the night going and what had actually happened hit him.

He'd wanted to show Rin all the pleasures being a demon could bring, all the ways they'd teased around since that first encounter.

All the things Samael could do that Rin had never guessed at.

And now…

Rin was strong, potentially greater than them all, if he lived through Samael's plans for him, but he was also part human.

Humans were so _fragile_. Amaimon didn't know enough about them to help Rin like he might need him to. Would his attempts make things worse? Was he too much a demon to fix the damage?

Samael had said- and he was _right_, that demons were incapable of anything but destruction. Amaimon didn't want Rin's destruction.

He curled further around the hand in his and could almost feel the way Samael watched from the other side of Rin.

Neither had spoken since Samael had told Rin he was home in that strange tone of voice he only ever seemed to use around him, even after Rin had finally drifted off.

Well, Amaimon bit at his lip, turbulent emotions he didn't understand bubbling to just beneath the surface again, that had been true until this night. Samael had spoken to _Amaimon_ with that tone.

He couldn't understand the kiss.

After their endless existence without any change, why now? There had been no reason for it, both knew their respective roles. If Amaimon had lost himself he would never know it and so wouldn't care. The only real loss was the time it would have taken to find Rin and a player on Samael's board.

So why bother?

He took a deep breath through his nose to remind himself of reality, to ground his mind, letting Rin and Samael's scents envelope him. They had found Rin, he hadn't lost himself, and Rin would recover. Amaimon would allow for no other outcome.

And he would deal with the strangeness of Samael's kiss later.

The determination gave Amaimon peace so he could un-tense from the tight ball he'd been curled in and stretch out. Though he still didn't release Rin's hand, only moved to rest his cheek at his shoulder and finally gain the composure to look up at Samael.

A flat expression greeted him from green eyes and the scent of decay was hidden once again by a robe, only a faint hint at the worst of it by Samael's neck visible above the high collar.

Samael was hiding behind Mephisto again, Amaimon couldn't understand why.

"I'll have to leave you to watch him, Amaimon, can you do that?" Samael said, low, swallowed in the dark room.

He had known Samael would have to, his exorcists would be demanding to know what had happened eventually. That didn't stop the shiver of apprehension that went through Amaimon.

Could he handle Rin if he needed something Amaimon didn't know how to provide? He could make things worse. He could…

Rin let out a breath that sounded like a whimper and Amaimon jerked a panicked look at his face finding it contorted, like he was in pain.

"He's having a nightmare, Amaimon," Samael broke through his concentration on the pallor of Rin's skin, "he'll likely have many of them, it's something that happens to humans after things like this."

"I know what nightmares are," Amaimon felt himself say back, watching how Rin seemed to struggle in his dreams.

Then hissed as Rin's grip on his hand turned punishing, black claws extending to pierce through to the other side.

When he looked again, Rin's eyes were open and his irises warped flames and he knew something was wrong.

Fangs bared in a wide scream, "_don't touch me_!"

It was all the warning they got before Rin exploded in a wash of blue flames that stole Amaimon's breath and vision from him and seared the flesh from his bones.

_It hurts it hurts it hurts_

Amaimon's screams died in his lungs as fire poured inside and he cooked from within.

The agony ended when his nerves burned away. His vision followed, eyes melting in his skull and the last thing he smelled was his hair turning to ash, his body to charcoal.

_Rin_.

Something jerked him away, the only reason he could tell because of the vertigo and the heat stopping its overwhelming force.

_Rin_.

His world was dark, body frantically trying to save his internal organs from failure and get his lungs functioning again before it would focus on less essential damages.

Gagging breaths rattled in his ribcage in a burst of ragged sensation just as he was on the verge of blacking out from the oxygen deprivation.

A single thought made it through the pain.

_Good. Rin would be upset if he'd been the reason for Amaimon's host body's death._

And Amaimon didn't want Rin to be upset.

So he lay in mute pain for what seemed like an eternity under a red haze as his eyes started to heal.

Sounds came back next, at first as if they were under water, a muffled echo more felt as vibrations than actual noises.

Then he heard the screams and couldn't tell if they were his own or another's as his skin, his nerves, finally recovered.

Everything returned to him at once, sound, sight, feeling, all in a tidal wave of sensory information that had him wishing for unconsciousness.

It never came and he panted on the floor, hot tears streaming down his cheeks, the only two things he was capable of focusing on until the adrenaline of his second near-death of the night faded away.

Amaimon slumped after a final gulp of air, energy leaving him to watch the world through blurred vision.

He fell silent, a blink clearing the remaining tears from his eyes, and his lips parted, slack, as faint breaths shivered out.

"It's okay, Rin, you didn't kill him, he's recovered, look."

The words from Samael had Amaimon rolling over, coughing once to get used to his lungs working again, and opening his eyes to search for Rin.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

He hadn't killed him, but, Amaimon met Samael's gaze where he was crouched a few feet from Rin, the signs of his own damage and healing apparent from the new robe he wore.

It was a close thing.

Rin wasn't blind either, he had seen the devastation he'd caused in the room. Everything within a ten foot radius had been completely incinerated, only a black stain of ashes spread out in a depressed ring from the center where Rin had been laying remained.

Heavy bags made bruised circles under Samael's eyes, worse than the usual strain of their energy on their host bodies, and the purple veins gave Samael a sunken, exhausted appearance. His hold on the gate was pushing his body to its limits and healing from near destruction by blue flames would have doubled that strain.

Amaimon crept closer to Rin's hunched form, staying quiet but not totally silent to avoid startling Rin when he was so unpredictable. Rin's ears twitched at the sounds and he pulled his knees tighter to his chest, contorted into a painful looking ball that hid his heart except for a flicker of blue from between his limbs.

"I suppose it's just good I had the foresight to move my pillows and collectables into one of the guest bedrooms, hmm?"

That had been humor from Samael, though Amaimon couldn't guess at whether it was something Rin would respond well to. He thought humans preferred words of comfort, although, he had seen many humans react to such circumstances in so many confusing ways throughout time that he had no idea which Rin would want.

He knelt on the scorched, still smoldering wood floors, bare of carpet and fragile after being ground zero of Rin's explosion but still able to hold their weight.

"Though I did like that robe."

When Rin made no move to uncurl or speak, Amaimon tried another approach, ignoring Samael's cautionary frown warning him that the current situation could change at any moment.

Amaimon inched the last foot to Rin and reached out to place his hand on the white-knuckled grip he had on his arms. Something unclenched in his chest when Rin allowed the touch and he used gentle motions to maneuver Rin into a new position, holding his breath the entire time until he had Rin settled.

The complacency did little to assure Amaimon that Rin was okay but he had no choice but to act as if it was. He had to trust that he would be able to escape this time if Rin had another reaction, or at least that Samael would be able to save him again if he couldn't.

Rin was warm when he lay his head in his lap, curling to rest there in silence until he felt him untense from the rigid way he held himself completely still under Amaimon.

Then the only sounds were the soft purrs Amaimon let vibrate out and their breaths in the room and the heartbeat calming in Rin's chest.

"I saw them, when I woke up," Rin said eventually, voice a tired rasp as Amaimon let his purrs grow louder, unable to think of anything else to do when what he really wanted was to murder those two nephilim Samael kept.

"I saw them on you, I saw Lightning," Rin glanced at Samael, then down at Amaimon through pinched features as if it hurt him to reveal what had caused his reaction, "and Feris."

His purrs came out strained, verging on growls, Amaimon's sudden anger at the situation making control difficult.

Warmth enveloped him as Rin bowed over his head, a choked, frustrated growl of his own jerking his stomach in an aborted heave against Amaimon before he shivered, breath picking up in his lungs.

Another panic attack, Amaimon realized, staring, expression empty, at the dark wall at the other side of the room while Rin fell apart over him in dying seconds.

"I'm sorry," Rin gasped through the shivers and Amaimon noticed that he had yet to touch him back, careful to keep his hands from any part of Amaimon besides where they were already connected.

Shifting came from Samael as he moved to them and Amaimon turned his head to see him rest his to Rin's hair, face lit in stark shadows with the flickers of Rin's heart.

They would have to put it away for him, he wouldn't know how to on his own. Amaimon's eyes shuttered, lost in the slow flame above him, there were many things Rin still didn't know about being a demon.

"I'll have to leave you, Rin, your brother and Miss Kirigakure will want to know you're alive," Samael murmured into Rin's hair, green eyes opening to meet Amaimon's, telling him without words that, even if he didn't think he could, he was going to have to be able to stay with Rin on his own. They didn't have a choice.

A wounded sound pressed from behind Rin's mouth but Amaimon saw him nod, then surprised him by speaking, "can you bring him here, Mephisto? I need to see him."

Amaimon stilled in Rin's lap, seeing Samael do the same overhead, the calculation running between them about whether to respect Rin's wishes and bring the twin or deny him- and Amaimon was finding that an impossible thing.

It seemed Samael had the same difficulties and he acquiesced to Rin's request with a nod after another moment.

"I'll return with him, then," he said, tracing his thumb over Rin's jaw. Amaimon took quiet note that it didn't cause Rin to flinch away and something else settled in his mind that he couldn't name.

"Why don't you two move to the next guest room," Samael said, and Amaimon tacked on the remainder of the sentence, that they didn't need the twin seeing what Rin had done. Though Amaimon disliked coddling the human, he knew it would only upset Rin if they didn't.

"Okay," Rin agreed, a tired smile tugging the corners of his mouth up at Samael that suggested he knew why, too.

Rin had horns now, Amaimon saw as Samael nodded a final time and vanished, leaving them alone. Small, more nubs under the skin than full horns and right at Rin's crown, hidden by his bangs.

The thought hit him that Rin wouldn't have even had the opportunity to see his true form yet, another thing Amaimon didn't know how he would take. So, he waited to see what Rin would do, if he was ready to move or if Amaimon needed to take the initiative.

Though he was inclined to stay in Rin's lap forever, if he asked.

They were in no rush. Amaimon didn't anticipate the twin and Shura taking the news of what had been done to Rin well, and even if they did arrive too soon with their demands, he had no problems showing them exactly how little patience he had left.

He pressed his nose further to the warm skin, arms winding around his stomach as he held himself back from taking Rin and hiding him in the deepest corners of Gehenna or Assiah where no one, not the humans, not the demons, not Father, and not Samael's plans, could touch him again.

But his shifting brought Rin's attention from where he'd been staring at the soot, though whether he'd been thinking or zoning out, Amaimon couldn't tell.

"Amaimon," Rin said, voice low but without the edge it carried earlier.

And, after a hesitant motion, Rin brought his hand to Amaimon's hair, brushing his fingers through it in feather-light strokes that had Amaimon's ear twitching. Another part of him settled.

"How did you guys find me."

Amaimon held his hand out without a sound, his gift to Rin appearing to hover over his palm. He'd wondered if Rin would ask that question. And how he would answer.

Should he be so honest about his near unbecoming? Was it too much for Rin?

Amaimon couldn't think of any other way to be, except brutally honest, not having Samael's gift with words and lies. Rin had never seemed bothered by it before, so it would be okay now, right?

He didn't know, and he didn't like the indecisiveness.

Doubt, Amaimon blinked as he named the emotion. He was feeling doubt.

He'd never felt it before.

A sharp inhale came from Rin when he saw the gift, hand leaving Amaimon's hair to take it and press it to his chest with another shuddering breath.

"I forgot I had this on me," Rin spoke once he'd collected himself, thumb running over the smooth surface of the diamond, though his eyes were focused on the flower inside.

"I didn't let Lightning see it, when I left you guys to go to my friends, I didn't want him to make some _stupid_ comment about it like Shima did, I couldn't take that."

The creature was dead, Rin had eaten him alive, Amaimon had to remind himself, imagining the comments a worm like that would have made to Rin while he'd had him, like he was even in the same realm of value that he could dare.

Amaimon rolled to stare up at Rin, keeping the snarls he wanted to let loose back behind an impassive expression as he raised his hands up to take Rin's, bringing the gift and his palm to rest at his cheek.

"There's something of my aspect in everything of this earth, especially the things I make, so I traveled the interconnected paths until I found it, found you." How to explain something utterly inherent to himself when Rin was so new to their world. He'd never tried before, everything instinctual. He'd never seen a reason to explain himself when the only others whose opinions he had to take into consideration were like him and everything else beneath his notice.

"That," Rin said after a pause to think about Amaimon's words, "sounds really complicated, and really dangerous to you, to track me down with just this."

Blue eyes pierced into Amaimon's from an expectant face, shadowed by his bangs under heavy brows. He sensed Rin almost daring him to lie, though he seemed ready to hear one anyway.

He'd never lied to Rin yet. Withheld the truth, but never lied. Amaimon didn't intend to start now.

"It was," he said simply, watching Rin's mouth pinch and feeling his hand twitch at his cheek, "I didn't care."

A tremulous smile took Amaimon by surprise and he froze in Rin's lap, waiting for a signal to tell him what he should do.

"Thank you, Amaimon," Rin whispered, dropping to rest their foreheads together, "I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad you found me- I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

It was the same as earlier with Samael, Amaimon thought in the back of his mind as Rin began to tremble again. If he had been lost, it would mean nothing to him, he would be gone.

But Rin would care, he realized. Rin would care a lot, because of his humanity, or something purely Rin that made him matter. He mattered.

When a hot tear fell from Rin to make a wet line down Amaimon's face and into his hair, he found himself moving on an instinct he couldn't begin to explain. The same instinct that had been driving him all night to find Rin. His hand drifted to cup Rin's cheek, claw tracing under his eye to wipe away a new tear from the flushed skin.

Amaimon closed the last inch between them, a warm press of their lips until the world narrowed to just the two them in the room. His eyes shuttered and he lost sight of anything except the way Rin filled all his senses.

He was on the verge of something he couldn't name as he coaxed Rin through the slow kiss and carded his claws into his hair at the back of his head.

Claws elongated against his face and fangs in Rin's mouth, his breaths picking up and his legs tensing under Amaimon.

"Mmf!"

Something was wrong, Amaimon vanished from Rin's hold to the other side of the room by the window if he needed to escape. The lack of warmth surrounding him made him feel empty, like he was missing an essential piece of himself.

And he'd been right about Rin.

"_Ha-ah_," Rin gasped, eyes clenched shut and bent over his knees to press his forehead to the floor with his fingers digging into the wood. Blue fire flickered in patches on his body, still ethereal and drawing Amaimon in, but the threat of setting Rin off even more kept him back.

What had set him off this time? Amaimon crouched, waiting to see how long it would take Rin to recover, every flinch and shiver through his body catalogued.

Flames hissed, trailing away until only the light from the terrace window and Rin's heart lit the room and Rin stopped shivering.

"Amaimon," came the weak rasp muffled into the floor. It didn't matter, Amaimon appeared back at Rin's side, hesitating- was it touch that set Rin off? He placed a calming hand to the back that no longer shook with gasps, listening to hear if they picked up again.

When Rin didn't react except to exhale a long breath, steadying himself, Amaimon rubbed his thumb in circles, a human comfort he'd witnessed so many times in the centuries roaming Assiah.

It had never held meaning to him before now, before Rin.

He watched the way his thumb moved across Rin, mapping out the continuous path he took as if it was another body performing the action

Was this…

"I didn't think-" Rin said, words a sharp jumble until a growl of frustration tore past his lips and he sat up in a jerking motion, glaring, "they used a muzzle on me, I panicked when I couldn't breathe through my mouth."

_A muzzle_. Amaimon's previous train of thought screeched to a halt, snarl twisting into ugly shape on his face.

But Rin turned his gaze on him before he could think of what to say through the rage, eyes glowing with the heat of them and a growl pulling at his lips as he spat his next words out, "I'm not gonna let that _ruin_ this for me, dammit, I'm not gonna let them have that control."

Hot lips met his in a harsh press, Rin clenching his eyes closed again as he kissed Amaimon like he was going to war. A misstep, fangs slicing, a sharp pain at his lips and Amaimon tasted blood, allowing Rin to lead, but still keeping a part of himself aware of any more danger.

The whine that picked up in Rin's chest had Amaimon preparing to vanish away, feeling the claws at his shoulders prick just shy of piercing skin as Rin suppressed his whimpers through sheer force of will.

Amaimon knew what it was, then, as Rin fought the trauma he'd experienced just that night, bringing his hands up to gentle the taut lines of Rin's body. The revelation fell over him like a shroud, gossamer, and as ethereal as Rin's flames, but just as real.

And because he'd never shied away from any truths about himself, never used denial like Samael pretended not to do, Amaimon accepted it.

The inevitable truth.

Rin pulled back with a gasp, panting as he stared without seeing at Amaimon's collar before his mouth shut in a grim line of determination.

"Rin," Amaimon said, drawing his attention and cocking his head, wondering, when Rin smiled at him and the way it sent another flurry of emotion through him faster than he could process.

It seemed, Amaimon felt a wry smile fighting to stretch at his lips in response to Rin's, that once the floodgates were opened there was no closing them.

"I'm sorry, I had to- I needed," Rin ducked his head, mumbling "maybe we should just go to the guest room."

"Rin," Amaimon repeated, reaching to take one of Rin's hands and bringing it to his face, knuckles at his lips where he murmured his next words while Rin stared with wide blue eyes, "Samael was _wrong_."

"Wrong?" Rin questioned faintly, mesmerized by the way Amaimon pressed his hand to his cheek, a soft smile pushing past his impassive expression.

"Demons can love, Rin," Amaimon said, nuzzling further into the warm palm, "_I_ can love, you showed me."

"Amaimon?" His name came out tremulous through barely parted lips as Rin searched his eyes for certainty.

He was certain. He'd never been so certain of anything in his existence.

"You can say those words, Rin, I understand them, now," Amaimon said, thinking back to the summer festival night he'd told Rin he didn't understand and Rin had laid it out so simply for him, wondering at how he hadn't gotten it then and there.

He got it now.

Rin tackled him in a hug, arms going around his shoulders as laughter, thick with tears, bubbled out of his lungs and into Amaimon's neck and their tails entwined while they settled into the embrace.

"Amaimon," the soft voice said, body like a golden summer warmth against his and their heartbeats echoing together through their ribs.

"I love you."

* * *

A sound came from behind the door to the guest room, rousing Rin from the light doze he'd fallen into.

Mephisto's presence registered a moment later in the room.

Rin cracked his eyes open, smiling up at Mephisto, joy still filling him even through the exhaustion. He snuggled further into Amaimon's chest, purr rising when the arms around him tightened.

The smile and his purr confused Mephisto, Rin could see, as he hesitated before speaking.

"Your brother is here, as well as your familiar, should you still wish to see them, Rin," Mephisto began, tired green eyes sweeping over where they lay in bed.

Familiar? _Kuro_. Rin gasped, realizing in the tumultuous night he'd lost track of the cait sidhe. In fact, he couldn't remember when he'd seen him last- that night? The day before, definitely.

He jolted up out of Amaimon's arms, ignoring the grumbled protest at his moving, "can you send Kuro in first?"

Amaimon shifted to give Rin room on the bed and he came to the sudden realization that not only was he still naked, his heart was still floating over his chest.

"Uh, I think I need help with this," Rin said, looking to Mephisto and Amaimon for a hint to what he should do as he gestured to the flames around the white spiraled core of his heart.

"Yes, of course, I should have put it away before I left," Mephisto said as he shook his head like he was coming-to from deep thoughts. Then another short snap of his fingers had Rin's heart twisting away and the lights turning on in the room to give them something to see by now that Rin wasn't working as a replacement lamp.

Another poof and sweatpants and a light t-shirt appeared folded in Rin's lap that he took with a grateful smile to Mephisto. He changed into them before returning to lay on the covers of the bed, propped on the mound of pillows behind him as Amaimon left to Mephisto's side.

"Okay," Rin let his breath out in a whoosh, rubbing at the tired lines under his eyes that hadn't faded with the light sleep he'd managed, "I'm ready."

A nod from Mephisto and Amaimon snapping to clothe himself and Kuro appeared in a cloud of smoke in the room. His familiar sneezed, clearing his head from the surprise teleportation and reorienting himself in the room.

Then he looked up and saw Rin.

"Rin!"

A small cat body launch itself through the air and into Rin's chest. He gathered Kuro to his arms without hesitation, pressing his face to the familiar's fur and inhaling his scent.

Cries bubbled up out of Kuro, clinging into Rin's shirt with his claws like he would never let go as Rin hushed him, running a finger down his back and rocking him until the cries abated.

Small hiccups came from Kuro, but he still tried to talk, "they knocked me out, Rin, right before the party even started, I woke up and everyone was gone and everything was destroyed and I couldn't _find_ you and-"

"I'm just happy you're okay, Kuro," Rin interrupted, his heart clenching at the thought of them hurting his familiar, and he hadn't even _noticed_, too caught up in the party and teasing Mephisto with Amaimon and he was an idiot and a _bastard_ for not realizing.

Kuro pushed back on his front paws to stare at Rin with tears in his wide eyes, fangs baring at Rin's words, "me? They took you, Rin, and I thought you were gone!"

His expression crumpled, a wrenching cry tearing out that broke Rin's heart, "I thought you were gone like _Shiro_."

The reminder hurt, Rin tried not to let it show, cradling Kuro closer, "I'm not gonna leave you like that, not ever, got it?"

"You can't promise that," came the frustrated response, delicate shoulder blades hunching as Kuro coiled his body into a tight ball in Rin's arms, "you can't, not with everyone trying to hurt you- not with Satan still trying to take you, too!"

What did Mephisto and Amaimon think about the scene in front of them? About the threats to him, still very real and approaching ever faster than he'd realized. The thought passed through Rin's head, a brief flash that he let go to consider later, even though he wasn't sure it was something Mephisto would let him know or that Amaimon _could_ let him know.

Kurikara breaking and his near death pressed at him to acknowledge it, the truth they'd hid from him that he had never thought to ask about. But he had to focus on the present and Kuro before he could tackle that conversation.

"Kuro," Rin said, using his thumbs to tilt his familiar's head back to look him in the eyes and brushing his finger over his forehead, smile soft, "I promise, I'm not gonna leave you like that."

The promise had Kuro breaking down into wordless tears that Rin soothed him through.

He settled back, allowing Kuro to rest on him until he could be reassured that Rin hadn't died like Shiro, away from home without Kuro ever knowing what happened.

Waiting for someone who wouldn't return.

Amaimon and Mephisto stayed silent, having moved to the side of the room and into some summoned chairs to give them space.

It was time.

"Are you okay, now, Kuro?" Rin said to break the silence, not wanting to, but knowing he still had to see Yukio. He scratched at one of Kuro's cat ears, smiling at the rebellious frown on his face at the question.

But Kuro gave in at his continued scratching, nodding and purring as he rubbed his head to Rin's jaw before sitting back and waiting for Rin.

Rin sighed, cocking his head against the pillows to glance over at Mephisto and Amaimon, seeing them meet his gaze and standing to return to the bedside.

"I'll bring your brother, then," Mephisto began as Kuro hopped from Rin's arms to the end of the bed.

"Wait."

He shook his head before the snap could come, seeing the narrowed eyes from Mephisto at his negative and crossed arms from Amaimon.

"I need to talk to Yukio, alone."

The room stilled, Mephisto's fingers twitching where he held them to snap.

"Rin."

"Please."

His quiet request came out unwavering even at the suspicious tilt to Mephisto's lips. His green eyes surveyed Rin as if searching his body for signs as to why he'd want to see Yukio alone. Rin thought he had probably come up with plenty of reasons, most of which were the truth and some of which Rin himself wouldn't have guessed at, hidden in his subconscious.

But he couldn't know which was the foremost reason, and Rin knew he wouldn't be denied.

Not that Amaimon looked any happier leaving Rin alone with Yukio. He was very aware of how little the two liked each other, another one of those things he had to work on because he wasn't willing to lose either one of them, they just had to figure that out.

Rin smiled when Mephisto gave in, coming towards him to press a kiss to his lips, though Rin had to fight to keep the shudder it brought him contained.

It didn't go unnoticed, Mephisto pulling back and opening his mouth to say something, but Rin shook his head again, "it's something I have to work on, ask Amaimon about it, or I guess I can tell you after I talk to Yukio."

"I see," Mephisto said, eyes shuttering as he gathered Kuro from the bed, stepping away to allow Amaimon to come forward.

He accepted the kiss from Amaimon next, heart skipping at the remembered confession as he had to resist the urge to pull him back into bed despite the panic not being able to breathe through his mouth brought. He knew he couldn't put off his conversation with Yukio, though, even if he'd rather spend the next week wrapped in Amaimon until he forgot where one began and the other ended.

Another flash went across Mephisto's green eyes and Rin saw him considering Amaimon now as he left Rin without a word.

And then Yukio was there in the room with him, the door opening to reveal his red-rimmed eyes and drained expression where he'd been waiting on the other side to be let in.

Yukio sidled past the two imposing figures of Mephisto and Amaimon, and Rin knew something must have happened between them to make his brother show obvious fear like that. Or, Rin hid a grimace as Yukio flinched at the sound of the door closing, his brother was just too strung out with anxiety to keep his usual composure.

There wasn't time to worry about which it was affecting Yukio, though Rin suspected some horrible chimera of both eating holes into his guard. Yukio looked as tired as Rin felt and Rin wondered if he looked the same or his demonic healing had covered the signs better.

"Rin I-," Yukio started, reaching a hand out before he cut himself off and dropped it again, unable to look Rin in the eyes. He must look pretty bad, then.

"Hey, Yukio," Rin said, cracking a smile when his voice just made Yukio flinch again, "come here."

That was all it took, the last barrier Yukio held up, tore, coming apart with the soft command. He wrapped Yukio in a hug, expression collapsing as some of his own worries dug claws into his psyche, and had to turn his head to the pillow behind it when tears itched behind his eyes.

"They were gonna bring you in- they were going to bring you in, too, Yukio," Rin said, a bare whisper into the pillow.

He winced when his words had Yukio freezing in his hold but couldn't stop himself from letting that part of his torture out, the part that had scared him more than anything else that night.

Because where Feris insulting his relationship with Mephisto and Amaimon made him furious, the thought of Yukio under their knives cut the breath from his lungs in sheer terror, it still did.

The shaking wasn't just from Yukio, then, as Rin dropped some of his own barriers, always more defenseless around his twin than anyone else.

"I was so scared, Rin," Yukio whispered into his shirt, "they took you, and then Amaimon was there and he almost brought the whole dorm down and I thought he was going to _kill_ us."

Rin winced, smelling the salt of Yukio's tears, feeling them soak his shirt. He didn't know how to help, how to reassure him things were okay now.

"Sir Pheles came," Yukio's voice dropped, words shivering out of him, and Rin tightened his arms, "he was still in his night robe and he spoke like normal, but there was something wrong with him, in his eyes, and Amaimon had blood around his throat, his whole front was stained with it, like he'd been attacked there, and then they left."

Rin still didn't know what to say, staring listlessly at the wall while Yukio broke down.

"They left and I couldn't _do_ anything, I was helpless," Yukio choked on a sob, bitterness and self hatred finally overwhelming him until his cries came messy, loud in the silent room.

He let Yukio cry himself out, the tears slowing into exhausted breaths.

When it sounded like Yukio was done, Rin put his hand to his head, letting the warmth and pressure soothe as best it could.

"It wasn't your fault, Yukio, there wasn't anything you could do," Rin continued when Yukio's breath hitched like he wanted to argue, "and I'm here, they found me, everything's gonna be okay, now."

A sound of protest met his words so Rin ran his claws through his hair and hurried on.

"Don't worry about me, four-eyes," the familiar teasing nickname made Yukio gasp out a distraught laugh, but Rin just let him get through it.

"It's okay, I'm here, I'm here, Yukio, I'm not leaving you." He loosed the words in a steady string of nonsense comfort for the both of them. He needed to make himself believe it, too.

They curled around each other like they hadn't done since they were young and Rin thought it may have been the closest they'd been since then, too.

He let Yukio have a little longer, knowing the next thing he asked would tear apart the fragile peace threaded between them like the paper chains they'd made as kids.

Rin steeled himself, pressed a firm kiss to Yukio's hair, and asked the question.

"Why didn't you tell me you had the flames in your eyes, too, Yukio?"

The renewed tension in Yukio's body didn't surprise Rin, but a heavy weight dragged his heart down anyway.

Because he could already sense the way Yukio searched for a lie.

"I don't-" Yukio tried to deny it, Rin growled, cutting him off.

"That's why they wanted to bring you in, Yukio, they were watching flame levels in Assiah and Gehenna and saw them concentrated on you."

Pressure at his arms had him loosening them so Yukio could scramble out of the bed, glare on his face to cover that Rin could smell his fear.

Now that he thought about it, fear seemed to be a constant on Yukio, nowadays. He wondered if it would match up to whenever the flames had first shown up.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Rin," Yukio snapped, fingers curling into defensive fists.

Rin leveled a steady gaze at him, silence answering Yukio's lie.

"It's none of your _business-_ stop looking at me like that!" Yukio said, shouting when Rin just pursed his lips in a grim line.

"Argh! Just go back to Amaimon, he rescued you, shouldn't you two be together? You need to sleep! You were just _tortured_, Rin, you were just _ra-_"

Yukio cut himself off, tirade ending as he realized what he was saying, eyes going wide, and he stepped back like Rin would attack him for what he'd brought up.

A stony expression met him as Rin refused to rise to the bait or let Yukio hide like he always did.

When he knew he had Yukio's attention, Rin continued in a voice that cut off all his exits, "he tried, I didn't let him, but that's not what we're talking about, Yukio, why didn't you tell me about the flames."

The wretched cry from Yukio had Rin bowing his head, his bangs shadowing his closed eyes as he inhaled, releasing in a long breath.

Silence.

He waited.

"I wanted what you have."

_What_.

Rin jolted forward, snarl on his face at the mumbled confession from Yukio.

"Me? You want what I have? Take a look at yourself, Yukio, you have _everything_! You just don't see it- you," Rin cut himself off eyes squeezing though he felt frustrated tears prickling, they fell when he opened them, fangs bared.

"I _always_ looked up to you!"

But Yukio backed up and Rin could see him wrapping all his layers of denial into a firm barrier that Rin couldn't reach through, growing further apart with every step.

"I gave you my reason, that's what it is."

"You know that's not good enough, Yukio," his response came out tired because he knew it wasn't going to change Yukio's mind.

He'd never been able to change Yukio's mind.

"Well it's the only reason I've got."

"Yukio," Rin started, then trailed off, weariness taking the rest of his strength from him to leave his body slumped against the pillows.

Another flinch from Yukio, but it didn't mean anything, and he didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

"Yukio, you're my brother, I love you, no matter what, you got that?" Rin's heart ached in his chest when Yukio just ducked his head to the side, unable to face his blunt words.

"Yeah I," Yukio stumbled, hands clenching again but still not looking at Rin, "I love you too."

That was probably the best he was going to get that night, Rin knew, sighing and trying to smile, even if he didn't think it reached his eyes.

"I'm not replacing you with my friends or with Amaimon, either, you got that, too?"

"Yea- yeah, I know," Yukio stuttered, though his expression said he maybe hadn't, so Rin allowed himself to consider the conversation not an entire loss.

"Good, and you're staying here tonight."

Yukio tried to argue.

Demonic features warped Rin's face as he snarled, patience at its utmost limits.

"I haven't seen you for _months_ now and I've just been through the second worst night of my life," he hissed out, flames flickering on his body as Yukio shrunk back, "if you think you're running away because you don't want to hang out with Mephisto or Amaimon or whatever reason that's _bullshit_ and it's not happening, not tonight, got it?"

"No, I- I got it, Rin, I didn't think-" Yukio said, for once listening to him, "I'll let you sleep, you need it, and I'll let Sir Pheles know."

Rin nodded, flames dissipating with Yukio's consent and gesturing to let him go find a room for the night.

"Yukio," he said when Yukio had his hand on the doorknob to open it, hating the anxiety he could see straightening his spine, "goodnight, I love you."

"Goodnight, Rin," Yukio whispered, opening the door with a soft click and leaving without another word.

Then Mephisto and Amaimon were there and Rin finally let the tears come, quiet and through a watery smile as he tipped his head back against the pillows.

He felt the bed dip with two bodies and a third smaller one when Kuro hopped into his lap, already purring in comfort.

Lips pressed to his tear-streaked cheek while another pair brushed lightly to his hairline.

Rin let out a shivering breath, chest shaking with it and he fumbled until he found their hands, gripping tight.

By the time he could stop, eyelashes sticking when he tried to open them, he discovered the lights had been turned off.

Amaimon nosed at his shoulder where he'd settled, gold eyes focused up at him for the signal that he could speak.

Mephisto ran his thumb over the veins in Rin's hand, a slow metronome like he was counting heartbeats.

"I don't want to talk about it tonight, but I don't think I can sleep," Rin said, remembering the nightmares that had woken him the last times he'd tried, "can you put me under, Mephisto? I just need it this once, no dreams, please."

"Of course, Rin," Mephisto answered without hesitation and the ease of it after fighting so hard with Yukio had Rin sucking in a sharp breath that made the bodies touching his tense.

He forced himself to release his own tension and shifted to rest beneath the covers. When everyone was rearranged, Rin tried a smile for Mephisto, hoping it was better than his last attempts.

"I'm ready, thank you, Mephisto."

Sleep came just as Rin noticed the pale dawn light creeping in from the window into the bedroom, the night ending.

Then he lost any awareness at all.

He rolled over, face pushing into the pillow that smelled like Amaimon and Rin smiled, inhaling deeply to take in the scent.

A purr rose out of him as he curled further around the pillow, awareness creeping up as he tried to recall why he was especially happy to have Amaimon nearby.

_I love you_.

Oh yeah, Rin's heart skipped, his pulse fluttering, and butterflies in his stomach had him wiggling under the covers.

Amaimon _loved_ him. Loved _him_.

But, Rin frowned, brow wrinkling, the pillow was cold. He sniffed, searching, only to realize he was the only one in the room.

Where?

His eyes opened, blurry with the remains of sleep until he blinked to clear it away. A dark room met his eyes, the curtains drawn to keep the sun from waking him earlier.

Then where were the others?

Rin shuffled out of bed, body stiff and stomach biting at him to remind him he hadn't eaten since-

Well, Rin rubbed at his arms, trying not to think about why he was so hungry.

A slice of pain flashed through his senses and Rin winced, taking his claws from where they'd dug into his arm.

He knew where the reaction had come from, looking at the healing cuts over one of the implant locations.

The blood seemed heavy on his tongue when he cleaned it, though it made him aware of the fact that he hadn't drank anything in awhile, either.

Bathroom, he had to at least rinse his mouth out.

Because Rin was still consumed with not thinking about why he was waking up alone in a guest room and not Mephisto's bed or his dorm, he blamed that for why it took him so long to look in the mirror.

A stranger greeted him back.

"What the-"

White hair, why was his hair white?

He leaned closer, his double did the same.

His tail twitched in confusion and Rin jerked his head down, needing to confirm his suspicion.

White fur had replaced the inky black that used to cover his tail.

Demon stuff, probably related to his burning alive and-

Rin took a long breath through his nose, eyes closing as he accepted his new reality.

Fine, of all the things that had happened to him recently, this was the least awful, Rin decided.

Now he had to find his two demons, his familiar, and his twin and make sure they hadn't killed each other in the however long it had been that he'd slept.

But first he needed food, and Rin figured he'd find at least someone on the way, though knowing the size of Mephisto's mansion, maybe not.

He opened the door and heard a startled hiss, seeing Kuro with his fur puffed and back arched in surprise down the hall.

"Hey-" he started, only to gasp as Kuro bolted towards him and leapt into his arms he held out on automatic.

"You're awake! Oh, man, Rin, I just came to get you because there's no way I'm staying in that kitchen with those three!"

"Those three?" It took Rin an extra moment to understand Kuro's rapid conversation.

Then he reached the kitchen and it all made sense.

Yukio sat, military straight, at the kitchen island, face stoically polite.

Amaimon lounged on the end of the counter and his claws clicked a menacing pattern into the marble.

And Mephisto, who Rin had thought would be the adult in the room, chopped vegetables by the sink with the same exactness as if he were carving a body.

The knife dropped like an executioner's blade until Rin finally gained the composure to cough, alerting the room to his arrival.

Kuro looked up at him, expression seeming to say, "see? This is what I was talking about."

He hid a sigh.

"Good morning, guys," he smiled, amused despite himself that his presence was enough to grind everything to a halt.

Amaimon reacted first, sliding off the counter to come to him and press a kiss to his forehead.

"Good morning Rin, I've just started breakfast, or I suppose this would be brunch now." Mephisto was the next to recover.

"How are you feeling, Rin?" Yukio said, shaking from his rigid pose.

"Hungry," Rin said, not wanting to get into how he was feeling besides the physical.

"Wait," he squinted to look at what Mephisto was making as he moved, trailed by Amaimon, to get closer, "_what_ exactly are you making for breakfast, Mephisto?"

Mephisto's brow twitched at the question but there was no way in hell Rin was gonna let his hurt pride subject him to his cooking.

Not after the oatmeal experience. Never again, Rin shuddered.

"Omelets, Rin, just omelets," Mephisto soothed, though his fang poked over his lip where it quirked in a smile and Rin wondered if it had been Amaimon who had put his foot down to any more of the… unique dishes Mephisto liked to make.

Still, better to reward good behavior, though Rin felt a twinge of something inside at the fact that he couldn't reward Mephisto like he wanted with Yukio there.

And the something just made him feel guilt at wanting his twin gone so he shoved it aside to smile at Mephisto.

"Thanks, Mephisto, I don't think I can stomach anything too heavy right now, anyway."

The expression on Mephisto's face softened and he nodded going back to cooking.

Rin settled against Amaimon at the counter, keeping between he and Yukio as Kuro left his lap to sit on the surface.

"So," Rin drawled, tapping a claw to the counter and fighting a grin when it made everyone perk up, "who was gonna be the one to tell me I had a makeover, or was I just supposed to have a freakout when I saw myself in the mirror this morning?"

Frozen silence met his question and Rin tapped his claw to the counter again to see if it jogged anyone.

"What? I thought you must have known by the time I got there," Yukio yelped out, drawing back to stare in surprise, gaze jerking between the three of them.

Mephisto's shoulders hunched forward, a sheepish smile on his face when he turned to present Rin with an omelette.

"Ah, yes, my apologies, Rin, I hadn't considered how you would take seeing your true form."

His what?

"My true form, huh? I have horns now," Rin grumbled, "I'm just happy wings didn't pop up, too."

"I would have liked wings on you," Amaimon sighed into his shoulder and, when Rin blinked down at him, gold eyes stared up from a pouting face.

The concept of Amaimon enjoying his having wings had Rin cracking a smile, tail shifting to coil around Amaimon's leg.

"I can't imagine how inconvenient that would be to keep covered in your daily life," Yukio said, surprising Rin with his willingness to join the conversation, though he definitely wouldn't be discouraging it.

"It could be an effective tool on missions, so that might make up for it," Yukio continued, gaze turning inward as if strongly considering the pros and cons of Rin having wings.

"It would be uncomfortable, but Rin would just have to hide them the same way he hides his tail, under a coat or jacket," Mephisto said, waving the spatula in his hand as he placed the next omelette on the counter for Yukio to take.

Besides another soft grumble from Amaimon at having to wait for his own plate, things were _civil_.

Surreal, it was surreal, Rin decided. But, in the end, if he could have something like this- being surrounded by his family, his loved ones, his friends, all getting along with nothing to worry about except missions-

Well, Rin would be okay with that.

Yukio did leave, eventually, citing the need to make sure Shura had informed the others and that they didn't need him for anything.

He'd eaten breakfast with Rin for the first time in months, even if Rin didn't hold much hope that he would start doing so more often.

If Yukio was going to be staying at the mansion with Rin, he might be able to convince him to continue with it.

The hug he got made him think it was possible, tight, like Yukio was trying to make up in actions what he couldn't say in words.

Rin scrubbed at his face, still tired even after the sleep he'd managed.

Hands drew him back against a warm chest as Amaimon tucked his chin into the crook of his neck.

They vanished back into the mansion.

He stood, centering himself with a touch to Amaimon's arms, the guard he'd kept up all day dropping with Yukio's absence.

"Where's Mephisto?" Rin asked, the need to see him without the forced distance burning at his mind.

"I'm here, Rin," Mephisto said as he stepped into the room Amaimon had taken them to.

Amaimon released him so he could move to bury his face into Mephisto's chest, breathing until his heartbeat slowed, having started racing without his notice during Yukio's departure.

"I think I want a shower, join me?" Rin said, pulling back to glance between Mephisto and Amaimon.

Amaimon already moved to a door that must have accessed a bathroom connected to the room, but Mephisto hesitated and Rin narrowed his eyes.

"Why don't you and Amaimon enjoy yourselves, Rin, I still have quite a few things to take care of today to get this under control and settled."

The way he said it sounded so reasonable. Rin stared into Mephisto's eyes, seeing the careful tilt to his head, everything performed so perfectly that if Rin hadn't just gone through the same song and dance with Yukio he never would have guessed.

Mephisto was avoiding him and he didn't know why.

But he did know he was tired of the facades. Rin firmed his stance, Amaimon hesitating by the door when he realized Rin wasn't following him and Mephisto frowning.

"You're avoiding me, Mephisto, why?"

His blunt question drew a sigh from Mephisto, a wry smile tugging at his mouth.

"Yes, Amaimon has already chastised me for this, I suppose I couldn't keep it from you forever."

Amaimon huffed a breath out, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms, "I told him you wouldn't care."

Rin blinked, happy that at least whatever it was keeping Mephisto from him wasn't something he'd be incredibly upset about, he'd had enough of the feeling to last a couple lifetimes.

Fingers snapped and the suit Mephisto wore vanished in a cloud of pink smoke that faded to reveal what he'd been hiding.

"Oh, it's gotten worse," Rin mumbled, stepping towards Mephisto to examine the rot that had spread over most of his body from the neck down.

"Yes, I may not last much longer before I have to release the gate or risk this vessel."

Rin brushed his hand to the skin not covered in the signs of degradation, wondering at the pain Mephisto had to be in.

"It's gotta hurt, can you even take a shower without it hurting worse?" Rin said, thinking about how badly soap in a paper cut felt, let alone the necrotic wounds on Mephisto.

But Mephisto just took Rin's hand, squeezing it once before turning to join Amaimon, "yes, it will, but no worse than I can handle, Rin, as I said before, you don't need to worry about this thing, we've been dealing with degradation from the first moment we possessed bodies."

He had told him not to worry, Rin remembered, thinking back to when he'd learned about the degradation Mephisto suffered from, then winced, recalling what had led to it.

Lucifer, Shima's interrogation, and the unwanted touch from the now-dead exorcist who couldn't hurt him anymore because Rin had _killed_ him, killed-

"Yeah, I remember," Rin said to stop the alert looks his pause brought from Mephisto and Amaimon, hurrying to join them before they asked about it.

Steam filled the large shower and Rin shuddered when he stepped in, trying not to think about the last shower he'd taken and instead focused on being with his two demons.

Even when the soap suds going down over Mephisto's wounds had Rin hiding a wince in sympathy pain, just being able to freely touch and be touched made something loosen in Rin's heart.

Rin smiled, enjoying the way Mephisto massaged the conditioner through his hair while he rubbed soap over Amaimon's back and up his neck to clean behind his pointed ears.

Those long fingers scratched a careful path at his scalp, moving to his neck to press the knot of tension that he hadn't realized had formed there. Rin tilted his head into the spray to let the conditioner run out as Mephisto kneaded his neck and shoulders.

He had to keep his mouth open to breathe, especially when Mephisto's hands had been at the back of his head, but he didn't think they had noticed the new habit or, if they did, it went unmentioned, allowing his dignity.

Despite himself, despite everything he couldn't keep from his mind, Rin let himself have the moment in time to enjoy not thinking. Just the steam billowing around them like an island of safety and the simple touches that kept him afloat.

Comfortable, he was comfortable, a sense of peace settling in his chest and filling him until he had to release it, placing a kiss to Amaimon's shoulder once he'd rinsed before returning the favor to Mephisto and lathering his hair.

Staring into Mephisto's green eyes as Rin traced his thumbs to his brows, seeing them stare back with careful appraisal, Rin couldn't help but think of a possible day where he heard the same thing from him that Amaimon had said the night before.

That Mephisto understood those words.

But until then, Rin would content himself with being able to map out the sharp features of Mephisto's face and bury his claws in his hair.

They finished, drying with a snap of Mephisto's fingers to leave Rin feeling lighter than he had all morning.

The peace lasted the rest of the day as they spent it just existing in each other's presence, Mephisto working, Rin and Amaimon entertaining themselves with the extensive media collection in the mansion.

But he had one more conversation to get through before he could feel completely settled.

"Hey," Rin said, bringing Mephisto's attention from his work where they were in his office and stilling Amaimon's hands from the light scratches through Rin's hair.

He sat up, Amaimon's hands trailing away as he continued, "I can kinda get why you guys didn't tell me about my hair or what was up with you, Mephisto, but-"

Rin watched for the way his next words were going to affect Mephisto, knowing it would be his actions, no matter how controlled, that determined the truth of his words.

"Why didn't you tell me about what would happen if the sword broke?"

A pause as they processed the question. Amaimon shifted next to Rin, obviously waiting for a signal from Mephisto.

For his part, Mephisto set his pen down in a precise motion, black claws clicking to the wooden desk before he brought them to rest in front of his face.

Finally, when Rin didn't falter, Mephisto broke the impromptu staring contest, impassive expression shifting to something less like a carved statue.

"It was never supposed to be like this, Rin," Mephisto said eventually, confirming one of Rin's suspicions.

"But you knew, you both did, and you were setting me up for it," Rin said to get a verbal confirmation, pulse leaden in his chest so that his heart struggled to beat through the new hurt that spread in numbing waves.

Another long silence as Mephisto watched him, blank-faced from acid-green eyes, almost reptilian in their lack of emotion.

"Yes."

There it was. Rin closed his eyes, bowing his head.

How many times had Mephisto warned him the worst was yet to come? That he should be careful what he wished for, because Mephisto had been waiting for his verdict and Rin had to give him one.

Did this count as the worst? Knowing Mephisto and the insanity of the world he lived in now, Rin didn't think so.

Amaimon moved like he was trying to give Rin space. He didn't want space from Amaimon, not after what had happened. Rin reached out and grabbed his hand, feeling Amaimon freeze next to him until he realized what Rin wanted.

A careful touch came to his arm before Amaimon pressed up against his shoulder, offering his body to lean on while Rin decided what he would say, what he would do.

When he opened his eyes, Mephisto hadn't changed his position, leaving it to Rin.

In the end, there was only one path for him, anyway. One he refused to falter on.

"Okay," Rin said, nodding once.

"Okay?" Mephisto parroted, eyes narrowing and hands dropping to reveal an almost comical frown.

"Yeah, okay," Rin shrugged, leaning back into the couch and seeing the baffled tilt to Amaimon's brows next to him.

It didn't take long for the confusion to fade and a frustrated snarl twisted at Amaimon's mouth, "how can you say that? We lied to you!"

"Amaimon," Mephisto said with a warning growl, though whether it was because he was concerned for Rin or hoping to avoid further questioning was something Rin couldn't tell.

He smiled despite himself, brushing his thumb over the raised tendons in Amaimon's hand where he hadn't let go.

They still didn't quite get it, though Amaimon tried his best and Mephisto was getting there.

"You didn't lie," Rin said when it looked like they were ready to listen, though his addition just brought more confusion from them, "I asked you about the sword and you told me, you could have kept lying and I never would have known, so, okay."

The rebellious glare Amaimon sent Mephisto had a warning curl of his lip rise in response, but Amaimon spoke anyway.

"Why aren't you angry? You should be!"

Which meant that Amaimon would be angry in his place, _was_ angry that they had lied to Rin by omission. Looking into his gold eyes, at the display of emotion so rare to see in them, had Rin smiling wider, even as Amaimon's scowl deepened.

"Do you want me to be angry? I'm not, you came for me, and you're here now."

"You're too forgiving, you have been from the start," Amaimon spat, though Rin noticed he hadn't taken his hand away, had in fact, gotten closer, though his shoulders bent like he was prepared for a physical retaliation. Like Rin could ever knowingly hurt him in his right mind.

But it made Mephisto speak up, his own snarl blooming on his face as his hands dropped to the desk. His knuckles whitened with the force, an unusual sight that had Rin straightening, though Mephisto's voice when it came out, was soft, a threat.

"Are you attempting to chase him off, Amaimon, will you continue to disrespect his decision?"

Defending him, they were both defending him from _each_ _other_.

It would be funny if it wasn't so upsetting to Rin.

And...

He'd noticed something now that he had improved senses that he hadn't before.

His claim on Mephisto and Amaimon glowed in his mind's eye, and theirs did on him.

But he couldn't see theirs on each other.

He didn't think it was because they didn't like each other, not with how comfortable they were, how well they meshed. It had to be more complicated than that, something to do with their history together that he couldn't guess at. Rin wouldn't be the one to pry into that, knowing it was up to them to decide to break that last barrier or not, even if seeing it now sent a disquiet through him that he didn't think would go away.

Amaimon bristling at his side took his immediate attention and Rin realized he was tired again, the energy he'd gained from the idle day sapped with one conversation that he'd thought he was prepared for.

Apparently not.

Rin shifted to drop his head to Amaimon's tensed back, feeling him startle at the sudden touch and freeze with a questioning sound in the back of his throat.

"It's okay, guys, it's-" Rin pressed his face further into Amaimon's shirt, inhaling there and closing his eyes so the rest of the world faded to that point, "I think I need to try sleeping again."

Shifting from Mephisto's location reached Rin's ears and he felt Amaimon look up as he walked to them, wondering at what look they were sharing that he couldn't bring himself to pick his head up to see.

A hand settled at the back of his head while Amaimon's repositioned to intertwine their fingers.

"Okay, Rin."

Mephisto, once more seeing exactly what Rin needed without trying to push him past what he could take. It made something like hope prick at his heart.

The gesture gave Rin a small burst of strength that he used to lift his head and try for a smile, "I know you have stuff to do still, I'll just go back to the guest room now."

Confusion still flickered behind Mephisto's eyes, unable to understand, maybe, why Rin wasn't upset like Amaimon said he should be. But he pressed a kiss to Rin's forehead, clawed thumb brushing his cheek once before pulling back and returning to his desk.

Amaimon didn't wait any longer, snapping to appear in the guest room and remove their clothes in the same moment. Humor flashed through Rin's mind at the fact that he was going to get lazy if they wouldn't even let him change his own clothes, but faded quickly as he joined Amaimon under the covers.

He could sense that Amaimon wasn't quite done with the earlier conversation by the way he couldn't seem to settle.

Rin huffed a breath out, looking into the antsy expression fighting through Amaimon's usual impassive one, "it's fine, Amaimon, you can say it, whatever you're thinking, I can't sleep right away anyway."

"You shouldn't let him get away with his manipulations like that," Amaimon burst out, fangs peeking over his lips as he spoke.

Yeah that was a good point, and one Rin dealt with every time he thought too hard about the way Mephisto controlled those around him in his giant web of plots and schemes.

But, "I knew he was like this from the start, Amaimon, I'm not surprised and-"

Rin shook his head when Amaimon just looked more frustrated, asking for patience, "I'm not going to let him do anything that crosses a line with me, and if he does end up trying something like that, I'll stop him however I can, no matter what."

The expression had disappeared from Amaimon's face with his words, appearing solemn now. Weary.

Rin startled as Amaimon tucked his head to his neck, curling next to him so his next sentence came out muffled.

"We don't deserve you, we never have."

Ah, that again. Rin hid a smile, resting his nose to Amaimon's hair. Amaimon apparently had a short list of beings that deserved Rin and he wasn't actually sure who made the list.

"But you've got me," he responded, even as his body caught up to his mind and he started to drift off, shuffling to get comfortable against the pillows.

"I told you," he yawned, nuzzling into Amaimon's chest and feeling his heart beat under his ear, "I'm not gonna leave, we'll work it out, no matter what."

He fell asleep to the steady beat in his ear and the knowledge that, while things weren't right yet by a long shot, they were going to get there.

* * *

End notes: Mephisto's gonna have some interesting things to say about Amaimon's realizations ;)


	5. Stacking Cards on a Sinking Ship

Summary:

Mephisto spends his winter break wrapping up loose ends, corralling his precious pawns who refuse to fall into place, and dealing with changes he never expected.

Notes:

Sooooo what can I say, Mephisto is a mouthy bastard with a lot of issues to work through? Hence why the original chapter 5 had to be split into two because it was going on 52 pages (about 17k words) with at least another 10 pages to go (at LEAST).

You guys get the first 36 pages now and then the big finale and I can finally rest after the Long Night XD

Aka get back to the other fics lololol

Songs of the Chapter:

Serial Killer by Moncrieff x Judge

Porcelain (AWAY Remix) by Skott

* * *

He left Rin with Amaimon, not knowing what he would come back to, whether his home would be standing or Amaimon burnt again and Rin lost to his instincts or-

Or none of those scenarios, Mephisto huffed a breath through his nose, putting the many possibilities waiting for his return aside. He had more important things to think about.

So many things to consider. He needed to have the lab and its contents analyzed to present to the Grigori for the inevitable trial either he or Rin or both would be put on for slaughtering humans, but before that he would need to have the footage doctored to remove any trace of his relationship with Rin, and now he would have to deal with Azazel and his betrayal, another side to the conflict he'd never anticipated.

But then, Azazel had never operated on logic. Corralling him would take tiresome leaps through philosophical debates he thought he'd seen the end of with Azazel's crystallization.

Especially now that he'd taken one of the humans Azazel favored. His claim on Lewin had been strong, implying that he still maintained it through the physical barrier, still cared enough to renew it when Lewin visited.

Would he do such a thing, were he ever in the crystalline state? Would he do it for Rin? A what-if scenario he didn't have an answer to.

The more immediate issue waiting for him to address took his attention from the odd musings.

Mephisto appeared before the location he'd received from Shura, remembering human civilities at the last second to knock on the door.

Even that small misstep, almost forgetting himself and appearing inside as if he were as uncouth as Amaimon, was off-putting.

He'd thought he'd covered Samael with Mephisto, but he could feel his true nature biting at every action, a detrimental effect to his performance that would need to be watertight to get everything back on track.

Doubly so when interacting with these particular humans, he grimaced, hearing the footsteps approaching, Shura, by the sound of them.

Yukio, he could manipulate in his sleep, but Shura had the delightful ability to catch small slips and details, much like Rin had begun to do the more time they spent together.

The door opened.

"Woah, you look like shit."

"Thank you for that, Miss Kirigakure, the consequences of near complete immolation, holding a certain gate, and maintaining this form can be straining, as you've pointed out."

"Immolation, you found him already?"

Exact case in point. It seemed Shura wouldn't let lack of sleep and worry cloud her judgment tonight. Mephisto would have to keep that in mind.

"Let's go inside and collect Mr. Okumura, he'll need to hear this too," Mephisto said, directing Shura with a nod.

She allowed him in and took him to the small seating area of the hotel suite she'd gotten. Yukio was already sitting at it, looking like he hadn't slept at all by the bags under his eyes and the blur in them when his head rose at Mephisto's entrance.

"Okay, spill, where is he," Shura demanded the moment they were situated.

"Things are about to become very disruptive in our lives, Miss Kirigakure," he sighed, leaning back to the wall and tapping a claw to his arm, "there is a third faction, led by Azazel against both the Order and Illuminati."

He waited for the expected shocked gasps and disbelieving words from their mouths before continuing.

"Agents of his, including three nephilim from the line we thought had died out years ago, took Rin in an effort to use his flames to strike back at Satan."

Shura stared at him with hard eyes and he knew she wasn't naive to the potential fallout of what he'd begun to imply. Yukio, on the other hand, Mephisto hid a grimace.

Prey signals and stress poured off Yukio and made it tiresome to focus on him without wanting to let his fangs drop.

Aside from the obvious reasons Amaimon didn't like Yukio, Mephisto knew that weakness, though well hidden from most humans, wouldn't help in leaving a good impression.

"The trail went cold, when we searched for him," Mephisto said, unable to resist the urge to draw the drama out, though he also wasn't looking forward to dealing with others right then.

An unusual sensation, because he enjoyed toying with others. Mephisto pushed the disquiet down to think about later.

"So you haven't found him yet?" Yukio said, eyes red rimmed and face drawn as he leant across the table towards him.

"No, we did, thanks to Amaimon," he cocked his head wondering whether the information about Amaimon's part in Rin's rescue would make Yukio resent him more or less. It was always fun to guess at it, especially with a human as self-destructive as Yukio.

"How'd he do that?" Shura asked, eyes narrowed to analyze his answer.

"He nearly lost himself, finding Rin," he allowed as he shrugged to hide the odd way Amaimon's near unbecoming had settled in his mind, "through his gift he created for Rin and gave to him at the party, he put a part of himself in it that he could trace."

"But you got Rin back?" Shura pressed.

"How is he? Who were the people who attacked us?" Yukio added.

Ah, he could see neither had any love lost for Amaimon yet, Mephisto's eyes narrowed. He wondered, if Amaimon had perished, how long would their affectations of sorrow last for Rin's sake before they gave up the farce?

"Yes, we got Rin back, but," he trailed off, building the performance before the terrible reveal, "not before they hurt him."

Release the last line with gravity to chill them to their cores.

"Not before they tortured him."

And wait.

Shura had frozen in her seat, shoulders forward and fists clenching as her wide eyes stared at nothing while she processed.

The chair Yukio sat in toppled to the floor as he stood to stumble back, denial on his face and in his clenched teeth.

"Torture?" Yukio breathed, "if they needed him for his flames why would they-"

He cut him off, the human tendency for denial an annoyance.

"I suppose it would be more a medical experimentation, if his captors were to describe it, though I understand that is a thin distinction and a non-existent one as far as an unwilling patient is concerned."

"You understand?" Shura hissed out, "shoulda known a demon like you wouldn't show any kind of actual empathy."

_Humans_ and their emotions, he forced his fangs back to their normal length behind his lips, always assuming their way of viewing the world was the correct one and disparaging all others.

"Rin is a demon too, Miss Kirigakure, or have you forgotten?" The response slid out of him before he could think about it, the stricken faces of his audience mirroring the flash of emotion he had to subdue at the uncontrolled slip.

Too much fear, he would have to tone it back.

"There is another issue to deal with, specifically the identity of one of his captors," Mephisto said, keeping his voice calm and business-like. He watched it both soothe and ruffle their feathers, the steadiness shaken by the subject.

"What, besides three nephilim?" Shura said, the natural human inclination towards sarcasm during tragedies always a fascinating reaction for him to see.

Yukio's silence in the matter was another much less interesting reaction he'd witnessed numerous times. Of course, he might still be able to prompt an explosion from him with his next revelation.

"Did either of you perhaps notice Mr. Lewin touch Rin in any way while he was apart from myself and Amaimon at the party?" He watched their faces from beneath his lashes, thumb brushing over his claws as if checking for scuffs.

He saw the moment comprehension reached their eyes.

"There's no way he- he wouldn't, you're _lying_!" Shura said, stuttering until she ended on a shout, short hair whipping past her cheeks at her vehement accusation.

"When could he have- I just saw him pat Rin's shoulder, how could that have done anything?" Yukio went through thoughts rapid fire, eyes flicking to either side as he tried to work through the questions.

"Ah, I forgot, he was something of an acquaintance of yours, Miss Kirigakure." He hadn't forgotten, but the salt in the wound soothed his own ire at missing Lewin's betrayal. He also hadn't missed that the two had been conspiring against him on their little detective work into the Blue Night.

"_Bullshit_, you didn't miss that, and I still don't see how him touching Rin for a second was enough to make Rin collapse like he did," Shura railed at him, her weak human fingernails digging red welts into her palms where she clenched them.

"A seal?" Yukio said, trying to understand, though the panic in his voice hadn't disappeared.

Still, he caught on to that, at least. Mephisto nodded once, folding his arms, "that's what we suspect, though we'll likely never know now, unless they kept records about that."

That stopped them. He'd known it would.

Shura's arms dropped to her sides, fingers flexing as the pain from her tight grip must have pulsed through them, focusing her mind on his implication.

"Never know?" Yukio murmured, likely catching on or nearly there.

"Why won't we know, we'll get him on trial with the Grigori and figure this out," Shura said, slow, suspicious gaze on him, "unless- you _did_ something to him, didn't you?"

The accusation sent Yukio back a pace, wary as if just realizing that Mephisto had killed and would kill again without an ounce of human remorse. And how vulnerable they were to his whims. The whims of a demon.

They were lucky they were his precious pawns or they might have something real to fear from him. For now, at least, they were safe.

So much fun, Mephisto smiled. He never hid what he was, but the human ability- even for the most suspicious and careful and _hateful_ of them, to grow complacent with familiarity was a pleasure to experience each and every time.

"Well? What did you do to him?" Shura demanded. The dark threat in her tone would have been cute if it wasn't so irritating to him right then, something he normally wouldn't spare a second thought about.

But how quickly they forgot _Rin_.

"I?" He said, an affectation of being appalled tinging his voice as he brought a clawed finger to point at his face, "I didn't do anything to him, and before you go making false statements, neither did Amaimon."

His facade dropped, human mannerisms wiped in an instant, immediately setting their nerves on obvious edge and raising their hackles when the true creature that he was took his place.

"_Rin_ had first claim to that." Was that a growl in his voice? He hadn't quite meant to go that far, but the way Yukio gave off fear, gave off weakness at the mention of Rin's name, brought it out.

He had to stop himself from following the urge to lean towards them, to bare his fangs and increase that fear reaction.

"Rin wouldn't, not unless he went berserk again," Shura mumbled, keeping her head about her and straightening at his revelation, "what happened, what did he do, Mephisto?"

"Berserk- like the forest?" Yukio said, hoarse and face blanched of color, that wonderful human imagination likely filling his head with all the sorts of things Rin might have done while in a berserk state to a fragile, mortal body.

Mephisto would be happy to enlighten him to the reality of the situation.

"He did what demons _do_ when they're threatened, Miss Kirigakure," Mephisto said, letting his irises reflect the cold light inside them, in no mood to entertain the illusion of human morality.

"He ate them _alive_."

"Well," he tilted his head, gaze boring into Yukio's as his lips stretched in a humorless smile around sharp fangs, "he burned the parasite that thought to touch him- to _claim_ him, into ash, but we discovered him as he was teari-"

"_Stop_, Mephisto, he doesn't need to hear this," Shura snapped, glaring as she moved to block his view from the trembling form of Yukio.

Mephisto blinked, coming back to himself now that Yukio was out of his line of sight, and stricken silent by his lack of control.

But he couldn't let them see him thrown off, so he spun a response on the spot, knowing he'd have to think about the unusual episode later.

"Nevertheless, Miss Kirigakure, this is something anyone who considers themselves close to Rin will have to deal with now, because _he_ has had to deal with it and so will need the ones who call themselves his friends and family, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I got it, but we've got other issues we need to straighten out, too," Shura said in warning, still positioned in front of Yukio, "like where is Rin right now and what happens next."

Yes, that was the plan. The plan he'd arrived with, in fact.

Right, the cards were back in order, the script written down. It was time to put the performance back on track.

"As I said, we retrieved him, he's healed physically but exhausted mentally and will need time to recover," Mephisto said as he leaned back to the wall again, keeping his limbs loose and his posture dominant without being domineering like it had been just before.

"Amaimon is with him currently at Faust Manor and will be able to keep an eye on him in my absence until Rin is safe to be around others," he added, wondering if that would be a comfort to them or not. If they trusted Amaimon even that much to guard Rin.

"He needs to go to a real place- a facility that can help with this!" Yukio yelled his demand and in doing so revealed he lacked the trust in Amaimon after all.

Such a human notion as a place to help with the things that had been done to Rin, what he had become. As if Rin were like any of those beings that could be helped by them in his current state.

A passing thought took his attention. What would Shiro have wanted in this situation?

Not that it really mattered what the man would have wanted for Rin, in any regard, to Mephisto. He put the thought away.

"Would you like to see my bedroom now? I'll have to get a redecorator at some point because everything inside is ash." Would the information that he and Amaimon had nearly lost their own lives to Rin's blue flames help or hinder his case?

A different, all-encompassing route could have better potential. Mephisto went with that option.

"He's not safe for humans, or even demons to be around, unless you'd like to add guilt to his conscious after he's burned them alive in a panic attack."

"Your bedroom," Shura said, eyes narrowed, and Mephisto cursed his newest lapse in control, knowing he'd have to exit the conversation quickly to find out why he was having such difficulties.

At this rate he might as well reveal all his plans if he couldn't keep such a simple secret.

"Amaimon has holed up there with Rin during his stay in Assiah," he shrugged, half-truth used to cover that, just because Amaimon was there with Rin, didn't mean he had vacated his own room.

"And," he firmed his features, "it is still the safest place, for all involved, for Rin to be until the situation can be resolved."

The cool logic made a tired exhale leave Shura's mouth, head bowing as she came to accept it, "yeah, okay, I can guess this is going to be a mess with the Grigori and I don't really trust anyone watching him right now that can protect him from them."

Those lovely lavender hued eyes of hers pinned him with a heavy look.

"Amaimon is probably the only one who's not gonna hand him over if they come knocking," she said as if admitting defeat, a wry twist of her lips more a grimace than anything.

She hadn't included him as someone who would keep Rin from the Grigori, a wise exclusion. He had already brought Rin to them once before for his trial and he would do it again.

But a reminder of their positions, just in case she had gotten too ahead of herself, was needed.

"As his legal guardian and benefactor, in the end, I have the final say in where he goes, and I've made my choice," Mephisto said, not allowing room for argument.

"Tch, yeah I almost forgot you're the reason he's even at the Academy," the bitter words almost brought a smile to his face. How it was possible to forget something so important was another of those funny human abilities to blind themselves.

"Good, you understand," he said, stepping away from the wall to give his orders, "I will need you to pass on what has happened tonight to the rest of the exwires, then ready yourself to testify before the Grigori as a witness."

"Giving me the hard job, huh? This is gonna be real fun, letting them know."

But, despite the sigh under her breath, Shura would comply.

"I bid you a good, well, dreamless night, then, Miss Kirigakure."

That left one other. Shura already moved to the bed to retrieve her phone for the several difficult calls she would be making.

Yukio stood in mute horror behind her, still processing the events of the night, perhaps.

Or possibly still terrified into submission by his presence.

"Yukio, come on," Shura said, worry etched on her face when she noticed the same.

Mephisto smiled at her attempts to protect her charge then turned that smile to Yukio as he tried to stumble to her side.

"Not you, Yukio, he's _requested_ to see you tonight."

Yukio jerked to a halt and he could hear the pitter-patter of his rabbit-heart beating behind that fragile ribcage.

"He?" The question came out in a shivered breath from Yukio.

"Yes," Mephisto said, having no doubt that his smile was spine-chilling where he leveled it at Yukio, "your _brother_ wants to see you, so you can't sleep yet."

"I'm going with you guys," Shura snapped, already reaching towards Yukio to pull him the rest of the way from Mephisto.

"I'm going to have to apologize, Miss Kirigakure, Rin did not request you."

Whatever she would say was interrupted by a thundering impact and terrified yowl from the window outside.

The presence registered to Mephisto's senses right after and he reacted before the situation devolved and another building got destroyed by a demon's panic.

He snapped his fingers and Kuro reappeared inside, back to his small form and in his right senses with the teleportation from where he'd landed.

Those tear-filled eyes of Rin's familiar searched the room as if he would find him there, face scrunching up with the beginnings of another meltdown when he discovered Rin nowhere to be found.

"He's alive, Kuro, I have him back safely, I'll bring you to Rin," Mephisto soothed, bending to pull the familiar into his arms. His embrace would be the best place to keep a demon of Kuro's levels subdued, the natural difference in their powers a better cap than any exorcist seals.

The tears that wet his robes were an unfortunate side-effect. But he'd worn one he wouldn't miss in case of any more destructive episodes from Rin, so it wasn't too irritating.

"Goodbye, then, Miss Kirigakure, I will contact you tomorrow with further instructions."

Before she could object, Mephisto snapped his fingers and arrived at the manor, Yukio and Kuro in tow, though one was more willing than the other.

He'd also prefer only the willing one be there, but Rin…

Well, there were many reasons Rin could have for wanting to see Yukio. He had a good idea what the most prominent one could be.

Would his plans still work given Rin discovered the truth about Yukio's eyes? Could one conversation between the brothers offset the path he'd put Yukio on?

With the way Yukio seemed bound and determined to fling himself into Lucifer's arms, Mephisto didn't think he had much to worry about.

Yukio Okumura would find his way to the Illuminati one way or another, no matter if it hurt Rin in the process.

Amaimon would be pleased to be rid of him, at least. Though Mephisto imagined it might conflict with seeing Rin upset at his brother's betrayal.

An odd concern for a demon to have.

There were more than a few un-demon-like qualities that might be attributed to Amaimon nowadays.

If he couldn't see the core of the being that made him the concept of earth, Mephisto might not recognize Amaimon at all.

Like earlier, when he couldn't tell if Amaimon holding Rin's hand was for Rin's comfort, or his own.

"He's in that room, Sir Pheles?" Came the hesitant question behind him, once more pulling him from frivolous thoughts.

Mephisto glanced behind him to see Yukio staring in apprehension at the closed door to the guest room containing Rin.

"Yes, please wait here, Mr Okumura, I'll need to check to make sure he's still capable of receiving visitors, you as well, Kuro."

Another snap and he appeared in the room, the scene upon his entry stopping him to take it in.

Rin, smiling despite the exhaustion still apparent on his body. Amaimon, sat against the pillows with Rin curled to his side, soft purrs emanating from both their chests.

What had changed in the brief time he'd been gone? Something in Amaimon's body language, the way he held Rin, how he looked at him, even, was different.

But Rin moving to sit up, smile still on his face whose emotion Mephisto couldn't identify, shook him from contemplating the change.

Mephisto knew his next words would tear the smile from Rin's face, he said them anyway and watched his expression crumple.

"Your brother is here, as well as your familiar, should you still wish to see them, Rin."

Rin's request to see Kuro first wasn't unexpected, especially after the familiar's absence must have slipped his mind.

Mephisto could already see Rin beating himself up about the lapse in memory. His martyr complex shining through for a creature as insignificant as a familiar.

He consistently gave too much of himself away, one of those traits he and Amaimon had yet to break him of.

"Uh, I think I need help with this."

With? Mephisto blinked, gaze running over Rin and seeing him gesture to his heart where it floated, illuminating the dark room with its blue flames.

How could he have forgotten to do that? Another slip up, where did they keep coming from?

"Yes, of course, I should have put it away before I left," he said, gathering himself with the dispersal of Rin's heart and the lights he turned on in the room.

Rin indicated his readiness, though he didn't look like it to Mephisto.

Amaimon's ire at having to leave the bed and Rin's arms was at least kept behind a blank expression when he came to Mephisto's side and clothed himself.

Then he brought Kuro into the room and watched the sight of him leaping to be cradled in Rin's arms with another odd sensation twinging in his chest.

So many things to think about still, Mephisto should use this time to consider the next step. He sat in a summoned chair, Amaimon moving to one across from him as they listened to Rin comforting Kuro.

Gold eyes met his when he caught Amaimon's gaze and he knew there would be another conversation to deal with between them.

It seemed Amaimon had had enough time to process his thoughts and was ready to speak his conclusions.

Mephisto wasn't sure he wanted to hear them this time. There was something off about the way Amaimon looked at Rin. If he were human, he might be worried.

Then Rin finished.

And he wanted to speak to Yukio alone.

Mephisto held that blue-eyed stare, mapping out the tired lines beneath them and the thin press of his mouth.

But Rin wouldn't be dissuaded and Mephisto couldn't stave off the inevitable by keeping the twins from each other.

So he nodded, granting Rin's request and pinning Yukio under an oppressive aura alongside Amaimon as he entered the room.

The cold sweat Yukio broke into as he passed them made the dark creature inside uncurl a little more. He settled the instincts to instill fear in Yukio by shutting the door harder than necessary, knowing it would make him flinch.

Then it was just he and Amaimon in the hall, Kuro tensed in his arms as if sensing the electricity in the air.

Amaimon stood unwavering before him but, by the placid features, it was only the calm before the storm.

He would have to start things off.

"Why did he react to our kisses like that, Amaimon."

The shudder against his body with his parting kiss to Rin had left a bad taste in his mouth. Rin's fluttering heartbeat, not from arousal, but from fear, something that hadn't been a bother to him in other encounters over the years of his life, bothered him just then.

By the hard glint in Amaimon's eyes, he wasn't happy about it either.

"They muzzled him when he fought back, he doesn't like his mouth covered now."

Ah. He very carefully didn't crush Kuro between his claws, hearing the tortured gasp from the little familiar at the information as if from far away.

"I see." For some reason the calm response had the opposite effect on Amaimon's temper than it always had.

Mephisto cocked his head to take in the way Amaimon's jaw twitched, obviously hiding grit teeth, extended fangs, even.

"We'll have to be careful with him, then," he said, keeping his words slow to analyze how Amaimon reacted.

Kuro shivered in his arms when Amaimon's eyes narrowed.

"That twin is going to hurt him again." The vicious glower Amaimon shot the door behind him made a frown tug at his lips.

He was being _emotional_.

He had to get to the bottom of these strange reactions.

"What happened between you two when I left."

His guess proved accurate. Amaimon hunched forward, too controlled to be anything but a cover for another, odder reaction.

Gold eyes peered from under dark lashes, sullen, and he almost thought Amaimon would resist.

Like he was protecting himself, or protecting Rin.

Why would he think he needed to protect Rin from him?

"He asked," Amaimon started before he could press him to, "about how we found him, I told him, then I found out about the muzzle."

Mephisto arched a brow, knowing a diversion from Amaimon when he heard one.

"And," Amaimon continued when he saw his half-hearted ruse wouldn't cut it, biting his lip until it bled, hesitating.

_Why_.

A smile, the same Amaimon had worn before he went under to find Rin, the one that Mephisto couldn't remember ever seeing in his existence from him, softened his features.

The bowed spine straightened, Amaimon's posture loosened, became _vulnerable_, open.

It sent Mephisto's heart skipping in his chest, he didn't understand-

"I found out you were wrong, Samael."

What.

_Wrong_?

"Explain," his order came soft from between his fangs.

Amaimon just smiled wider. Why was he _smiling_ like that?

"Rin told me he wouldn't know what he would do if I died, that he was glad I was okay," Amaimon said, his roundabout answer bothering Mephisto as much as his direct one had earlier.

"Yes, that human aspect of his would make either of our deaths a tragedy for him, I'd imagine," he said as he tried to puzzle out where Amaimon was taking the conversation.

"I told him I understood."

He understood?

Kuro let out another gasp, somehow knowing what Amaimon was saying before he did.

"Understood what," he growled, hands a cage around Kuro, who must have just remembered who's arms he laid in as his claws extended to prick at his skin.

Amaimon's gaze flicking to the shivering familiar deepened his frown but he released Kuro, ignoring as he ran to hide at the end of the hall. As if that would matter if Mephisto decided to attack.

But in this case, it was for the best. Rin would be less than forgiving if he destroyed the cait sidhe.

"Well?"

"I love Rin."

What.

"What?"

"You were wrong, demons can love," Amaimon was speaking but none of his words made any _sense_, "and I love Rin."

"You love-" even the word from his mouth sounded discordant.

It was…

It was _funny_.

"Hah! Ahahaha!"

The smile faded from Amaimon's face and it was like his body shut down, becoming puppet-like, wooden.

"_Love_? You love him, Amaimon?" He spat the words, unable to comprehend what he had just heard from that empty-headed _fool_.

"That's rich, next you'll be telling me you've decided you're not the Earth King anymore and you're living the rest of your years as a human!"

The thought sent another wild cackle from him and Mephisto brought up a finger to wipe a tear that had escaped from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, love, that's what I said," Amaimon was unmoved and his stoic determination slowed Mephisto's laughter until he realized he was serious.

He really believed he loved Rin. That love was a real, concrete, thing and not a vague idea that humans used to justify their whims.

"This is the conclusion you've been working towards- don't give me that look," Amaimon's lip lowered from where it had curled in a snarl at Mephisto's sharp order, "I can see when you're chewing something over but I had no idea _this_ is what you'd spit from that bottomless black hole of a gullet."

Gold eyes met his in a heated stare down, burning like poison sulphur between them. Mephisto realized his ribs ached past the ever-present agony of decay. His fists were clenched until the tendons creaked.

Blood dripped from his knuckles to the carpet.

Another _slip-up_.

It had to stop. He didn't have time to cater to Amaimon's madness when he had to find out what was throwing him so off balance. He uncurled his fists, a controlled, deliberate motion.

"Fine, I imagine Rin was over the moon, to quote the humans, when you told him," he said, waving a hand to signal to Amaimon they could agree to disagree.

Why was Amaimon rubbing a hand to his chest, a human sign of distress?

"Was there anything else you have for me while we're waiting?"

Amaimon's hand fell from his heart, his expression shuttered so that any hint of the earlier emotion vanished.

"Cruel," he whispered, stretched into the space between them, "you're cruel."

Lucifer had said that to him once, in many timelines. He'd _delighted_ in the moniker.

Now his cruelty beat at the walls he locked it behind with bloody fists to rail against Amaimon for his condemnation.

"I'm a demon, dear Amaimon," he grinned, a baring of fangs in a skeletal face that showed the true horror he was, allowing it to surface for a moment before sinking under the still waters again.

"As are you, as is our little Satan spawn in that room that we will have to tread carefully around until he can recover enough for the next stage of the plan."

Were his words even reaching Amaimon? He seemed more like a living doll, blank, even for him, and Mephisto didn't know _why_.

Like the light had dimmed behind his eyes, an ember instead of a spark.

Mephisto shivered, glaring at the hall to either side. He would have to have Belial check the heater, it shouldn't be cold in this side of the manor, no matter how frigid the winters got around here.

"He's not going to react well to the next stage," Amaimon said, his sudden break in the silence making it take an extra moment to understand what he was implying.

Then Mephisto remembered what the next stage would reveal to Rin, and how it might have a larger impact than previously anticipated.

"The clones, Section thirteen," he murmured back and saw the confirmation in Amaimon's slow nod.

"This is going to hurt him," Amaimon said, dull, and without any of the previous emotion that had sharpened his syllables, "you're going to hurt him."

Hurt him?

"Yes, but I don't see how this is news," he said, unable to see why Amaimon would bring that up, "you knew, or you should have known that when you declared your loyalty to him."

"I know," Amaimon said, flat eyes matching his response.

Did he, though? Why bring it up then?

"You know what the future has in store for him, Amaimon," he added, watching, waiting for the usual temper stating the obvious got for his efforts in other debates they'd had.

"I _know_," came the petulant answer, a quick burst of light rising behind those gold eyes before fizzling out like it had never existed.

"Then I don't understand how you think this is going to change just because of a human quirk you've picked up," Mephisto finished, a downward twitch to his lips as he tried to work through Amaimon's thought process.

Did he think Mephisto would derail years of careful planning because he'd fallen prey to a human confusion?

He stopped, eyes widening as he took in the way Amaimon watched him, analyzed him the way he had just been doing.

Did Amaimon think he might have felt the same? That he would ever consider the inanity of something like love?

That he would ever lower himself to something so human?

To debase himself in a way like that, to become an ant instead of a god, was unthinkable.

"It won't," Amaimon said, a bitterness edging his tone as he finally dropped his gaze from Mephisto's.

He was cutting himself off, from Mephisto and the conversation.

"It won't change a thing," he trailed off, moving to lean against the wall and crossing his arms. The fight went out of him entirely.

"Yes," Mephisto said in slow agreement, running his gaze over the form half turned from him, "not a thing."

A click at the door to Rin pulled him away from Amaimon. Mephisto almost growled, not finished with unraveling the newest mystery that wouldn't let him rest. He cleared the blood from his palms and from the carpet before the door opened.

Yukio's drawn face, shaken after whatever he had just been through with Rin, forced Mephisto to separate himself from the Amaimon problem to deal with the Rin one.

"Um, he's- Rin said I should stay here for the night, if that's alright with you, Sir Pheles."

Not particularly, Mephisto hid a scowl. It would mean he would have to hide in his own home, unable to be with Rin except behind closed doors.

Amaimon would be free. They would both be free.

An annoyance, but nothing he couldn't deal with.

"I'll have Belial show you to your room, then, Mr. Okumura."

He summoned his phone in a cloud of smoke and sent a text, waiting until Belial appeared in the hallway with a bow.

"I imagine we'll be having a late breakfast depending on when Rin wakes," Yukio flinched again, a straightening of his spine from where he trailed after Belial, "I'll have Belial collect you when it's time, goodnight, Mr Okumura."

He ignored the stuttered reply, gesturing to Kuro to come out of hiding and gathering him in his arms. He hadn't missed that Kuro had glanced at Amaimon for a moment in passing, hoping to be held by him instead, perhaps.

It made sense. They clearly shared the same delusion.

The root of it all waited for them in the bed.

Faced with the silent tears running down Rin's cheeks as he tried to smile for them when they returned to the room, Mephisto didn't care about dealing with anything else.

Amaimon had been right about one thing. That wretch of a twin had hurt Rin.

It was for the best that he'd sent Yukio away already before Amaimon had seen Rin. The humans performed such horrors in the name of love, he didn't doubt Amaimon would be willing to do so much worse.

Rin's hand found theirs while Kuro hid in his lap, staring up at Rin with concern as Rin closed his eyes and went limp against the pillows.

But Rin didn't sleep, laying there until Mephisto determined that he might have to speed things along if Rin was to get any real rest.

After another few minutes, at least until the tears dried. Mephisto shut off the lights and amused himself with running his thumb over the veins in Rin's hand.

In the dark room, with only the gloom from the pre-dawn coming through the window, he was drawn to the rapid pulse leveling out under his touch.

Amaimon shifted in silence to nose at Rin's shoulder with a deep inhale. The earlier stillness gave way to a more natural calm.

Blue eyes slid open, Rin reorienting himself before tipping his head to look at Mephisto.

His request for a dreamless sleep would be simple to grant. The sharp, pained breath when Mephisto agreed to do it for him seemed to have no origin.

Though, given Rin had just spent the last few moments crying after his discussion with Yukio, well, it was in everyone's best interest he'd directed Belial to bring him to a room far enough not to sense his presence.

He put Rin under, tugging the covers more securely over the three of them, even if sleep wasn't in the cards for him tonight.

Mephisto couldn't rest yet, he had to go back to the lab and begin the clean-up.

A little longer in the bed wouldn't set him back overly much. Rin's hand was warm where he pressed it to his face, closing his eyes and focusing on the way their scents mingled.

Amaimon's attention on him eventually dragged him from the pillow and he rose to leave, feeling Amaimon track his movements.

"He'll sleep through the morning, you won't have to watch for any more episodes," he said to his silent audience, "I don't imagine I'll be back until it's time for him to wake, the Grigori will want to question me on the events that transpired after I inform them."

Mephisto left, vanishing to the sight of Amaimon curling tighter around Rin and Kuro draping himself over Rin's chest.

Then he appeared back at the scene of the slaughter, Beelzebub's kin already moving in as demonic flies buzzing around the corpses freezing in the winter air.

Ignorable, the Grigori could do nothing about the natural disaster that was a demon king, though he played the part of a docile knight, and they certainly wouldn't be trying to bring Amaimon in for a trial.

The real information he needed to erase lay in the footage, audio, and any documentation that mentioned information Lewin may have uncovered that wasn't meant to be revealed yet.

Which meant the upper levels were clear, something he'd learned from the now dead human he'd questioned.

Using the surface offices and humans as an ignorant cover was clever but unfortunate for the worms whose limbs were now strewn over the floors and walls after they'd massacred them.

He would begin at the lab and work from there, Mephisto decided, warping to where he'd found those two nephilim in the same instance.

Ah, Kurikara. Mephisto brought the shattered pieces of Rin's heart, or what used to contain it, over to him, vanishing them to deal with later.

Then he got to business.

Hours passed. The data he delved into consuming him in a pattern of listen, read, store, collect, modify or delete as required by what he found.

Or it did up until he reached the present and watched Rin get wheeled in, unconscious on a steel table.

Lewin was dead, Mephisto reminded himself as one of those unclean hands caressed the hair from Rin's slackened face while he placed his containment seals.

Now Mephisto just had to get his body and his instincts to remember that fact too. There would be worse violations of his claim on the footage. He hadn't forgotten what Rin had gasped out after his panic attack.

There. There was the pewling worm who had tried to claim Rin, the third nephilim he'd been watching alongside the other two for the past hour.

Feris, Rin had named him, the one who had taken Rin in the first place, who Rin had seen over Amaimon's face when he'd woken.

His eyes locked on the way the man pretended at indifference to Rin in the footage. It may have fooled the other two nephilim, but he could see it, and he could see that Lewin recognized it too.

That Feris waited for the moment he would get Rin alone.

Mephisto's claws dug into his palms again, the out of place warmth in the temperature-controlled lab snapped him back to awareness just as he snapped to clear the red from the keyboard.

Continue, then, he had known he would see such content, had expected worse, even, given his knowledge of the monstrosities humanity had created throughout their history.

Lewin had Kurikara in his hands. He saw the moment Rin realized it, eyes narrowing as Rin wrenched in his bonds.

Fangs slid to fill his mouth when Feris silenced Rin, stunning him against the table with a hand to his face.

And Lewin's _filthy_ hands were touching the back of Rin's head again.

Amaimon would not be seeing this footage, Mephisto decided after seeing Rin muzzled.

The film reflected in his unblinking eyes, each brutal quieting when Rin fought back, each dismissive word against him, and every mark that stained the cool metal beneath his body a vivid red.

Rin knew about the sword. Mephisto paused, sitting back because he had a strong suspicion Rin would be wanting to talk about that lie of omission, that betrayal.

More tears, stubborn, from Rin's eyes as he refused to cry aloud in front of his captors. Mephisto had to flatten his palms to the desk before he scratched the surface, following the tracks Rin's tears took to mix with the blood ruddying his cheeks.

He worked on autopilot, leaving the experimentation alone and only editing out Lewin's crass comments to Rin about his musings into what existed between the three of them.

Though he had been right that the claw gouges in his desk, the ones he liked to trace with his fingers when he had to work through his mindless headmaster duties, were what had made Lewin suspicious. Lewin gaining doubts by Amaimon's appearance in his class to defend Rin had been a stroke of luck in throwing him from the scent.

Not that it mattered much anymore, he allowed a smile at having one of his most annoying problems dealt with before getting back to his most recent problem.

And had his suspicions about Rin's knowledge concerning Yukio confirmed in the next scene.

Such clever little rats, going about their tests. So dedicated to ending the threat that was Satan.

The crack of Rin's skull into the table to silence his terrified screams for his twin made Mephisto strongly consider going into the cuckoo prison to let off some of his steam on the two remaining captors.

Their screams wouldn't make up for what they had done to what was his, but he would feel very, very satisfied.

Lewin wheeled an unresponsive, muzzled Rin into the hall to the elevator and some of the ire bled from Mephisto at no longer seeing him, allowing for him to focus back on the remaining footage in the lab.

He knew when the earth started shaking and the nephilim remaining in the lab ran, that he could move on.

Although, a pleased hum went through his chest to see the beautiful way Amaimon tore a bloody swath through the various assistants and personal.

It was always a pleasure to watch Amaimon in action. The sheer destructive force of the power he wielded was only rivaled by the surety with which he used it to tear down whatever stood in his way.

_Especially_ when the play stopped and he fought for more than fun, as he had in this case.

Mephisto rubbed a clawed finger to his lips, a frown fighting the enjoyment he felt thinking about seeing if Rin would have another play fight with Amaimon for him to watch.

Another break in his plans and his fun, he scowled, switching to the footage following Rin's path to the basement level.

The time he had to spend with Rin as he was wouldn't last much longer. It may not even last past the next few weeks, if Rin decided the horrors of Section Thirteen and Mephisto's role in them was more than he wanted.

Then it would just be Rin and Amaimon.

And then only Amaimon.

Amaimon, who said he loved Rin.

His lips tugged into a frown, already thinking about the fallout several of his plans were going to have with this new unforeseen complication.

It couldn't be solved yet, not when he had more present issues demanding his attention.

Right then his attention was on the way Rin stumbled into a chamber, muzzle removed and slit-pupils darting to assess his surroundings.

Mephisto didn't blink for several long moments as Rin fought swarm after swarm of hobgoblins.

He couldn't use his flames, Mephisto registered the thought passing through his mind, but the lack didn't matter.

Rin became a bloody god amongst the gore of the savaged demons he left broken at his feet.

Red carnage coated the walls, the floors, Rin's clothes, and the flesh caught under his claws where they rent it from the bones it had been attached to.

Pure violence in motion as the demons that beset Rin stripped him of his humanity wave by wave until he was nothing but a set of instincts telling him to survive, to kill.

The moment Rin fell fully to those instincts, Mephisto realized his heart was thudding in his chest and his mouth had been gaping open, hot saliva pooling inside around extended fangs.

He shut his mouth, forcing his fangs back and annoyed with himself for acting like a base demon all because Rin, bathed in his enemy's entrails, stirred the vicious instincts he kept covered in his day to day existence.

But Mephisto knew, because of the time stamp on the footage, that everything was coming to a head.

Watching Rin's body finally give out and fall into a stupor on the table the nephilim strapped him back to had the vicious instincts climbing that much closer to the surface.

Then they brought him to the cell and left him. Rin collapsing to the floor to break down in wrenching sobs made Mephisto release a controlled exhale through his nose, though that only served to bring the scent of Rin's pain to him when he breathed in again.

How many humans and demons had he witnessed similar scenarios of, so many he'd committed himself, even, or been the hand behind. The only difference he could see was that this hadn't been in the cards for Rin, and Rin was his, his to choose whether he suffered or prospered. And he hadn't chosen this.

The sheets twisting beneath Rin's nightmare fueled movements where he'd made it to the bed provided to him after his shower were halted by the door to the cell opening.

Mephisto couldn't stop the soft growl that rumbled from his chest at the sight of Feris, that worm of a nephilim, staring down at Rin with a possessive gleam in his eyes.

Rin woke, and his screams followed.

Ah, that was where the tail control had come from. He'd been planning on using one on Rin that night before everything had gone sideways, had been anticipating the beautiful reactions he would pull from Rin with the device, and, though he'd gotten to use it, in the end, it wasn't in the way he'd wanted.

He listened to the worm's justifications and delusions as he spoke to Rin, touched Rin, feeling a stillness come over his body. It seemed that the nephilim had thought he deserved to be treated as something other than a pawn, as if, because Azazel allowed so many freedoms, that made him somehow worthy of not being used.

Azazel's favorite, the late Lewin, appeared, a dark shadow in the slice of light into the cell and Mephisto narrowed his eyes. He didn't know if he was grateful Lewin's attempts to contain the nephilim had failed and Rin escaped on his own, or if he would have preferred Rin had held off his awakening.

That nephilim proceeded to seal his own fate with his next words.

"I especially don't get why you in particular would be their little _bitch_."

Such a human concept, Samael sneered at the jealousy rampant in the nephilim's words even as Rin lit with fury only to be put down again with the control.

But Rin didn't show fear and Mephisto wanted to praise him for seeing the inherent weakness in the nephilim, for recognizing his superiority and responding as he had. It may be something he would have to tell Rin later. The human aspect of him would take it well, being told he had been strong.

The trouble, of course, would be if Rin would also handle his viewing of the torture well or if it would upset him more, to have something like that seen by someone he- _cared_ for.

Lewin's interruption snapped him back to the footage, his breath catching.

"I mean, it's kinda obvious, Feris, if you think about it."

Fear was back in Rin's eyes, the world seemed to hang by a thread, Lewin smiled kindly at Rin.

"Well, the kid's in love."

That _word_ again.

Why couldn't he _escape_ it?

"You actually care for them- no, you love them!"

Mephisto became aware of a deep, vibrating growl building in his chest, dropping in a snarl when the nephilim dared to mock Rin, as if he-

"You know they don't know what that is, right?"

Everything stilled, of course Rin knew, they'd explained the night of the festival, demons _couldn't love_.

But _Amaimon-_

"You're their possession, their toy."

Rin was theirs as much as they were _his_.

"They don't love you, they can't."

As if such a creature- this nephilim, could understand a concept like love, even if it did exist.

Mephisto's head bowed, heated gaze beneath his tangled bangs tracking the way that nephilim dared to bring his mouth to Rin's neck, dared to press that filthy tongue to his skin.

Dared to speak those words.

"Why don't you let me claim you, Rin."

_Try, little worm, Rin will eat you alive._

Blue flames filled the screen just as red pain, sharp against the black mirror cracking in his mind, shook Mephisto from the trance he'd fallen into.

He gasped, disengaging his claws from where he'd pierced them straight through to the other side of his palm with the force of his clenched fists.

His eyes fluttered in rapid blinks as he returned to the room and could look away from the footage.

The sounds brought him back to it before he could stop himself.

Rin's flames no longer blocked the camera, haloing his form like a shroud while ashes drifted from his reborn body as he stared with warped pupils and a smile at the stunned figure of Lewin.

It seemed the man, having seen the signs of danger in Rin before the explosion, had been able to throw up a barrier that held, even if he'd been tossed from his feet into the wall.

Knowing what became of Lewin, Mephisto would guess he'd have preferred the flames.

Rin was upon Lewin, a savage movement that brought him into range so he could shred the shirt from his torso, ignoring the weak struggles as if they weren't there at all.

Blood, a bright splash of it on the soot-stained floor just as the heady taste of it hit his senses.

Mephisto groaned, his tongue winding over his fingers to bring his own blood into his mouth as he watched Rin disembowel Lewin with a smile on his face.

The first crimson fistful Rin brought to his mouth had Mephisto's watering. He wanted to kiss the blood from Rin's lips and feed him more from his kill until they were _both_ satiated.

Light faded from Lewin's eyes until he fell limp in Rin's grasping claws.

_This_, Mephisto thought through a haze, this he would share with Amaimon.

And what followed.

He watched Amaimon startle to a stop in the doorway and forced himself to pause the footage, whatever happened after would be cut from it anyway. Mephisto would destroy the camera in the room and make it look like Rin's flames had been enough to incinerate them.

And he would be saving a copy of the footage for himself to analyze later.

With a last shake of his head, Mephisto willed the visceral instincts away and began on tying everything together.

Right, he thought some time later, that was the video and audio, now the data.

His tail flexed against the floor, body stiff after sitting for so long. He knew without looking at the clock that it was nearing when he would need to call the Grigori so he could return in time to make breakfast for Rin.

There was just one last section to clean. Mephisto stood, head turning from where he'd snapped his fingerprints away to look in the direction of the elevator shaft.

Another thought brought him into the remains of Rin's devastated cell.

A blast of scents, Rin's fear, blood, fury, lust drowned out everything else before he could bring himself to focus on other scents.

Mephisto slid his tongue over his fangs, eyes moving in a slow scan of the cell. His breath left in a huff through his open mouth, other scents registering with each panted inhale.

His eyes shuttered closed, head dropping back as the scent of their violent mating enveloped him and sent a shudder through his frame.

The way he mixed with Rin and Amaimon overtook him as his tail coiled around his leg.

But he couldn't savor it forever.

He opened his eyes and cleared the evidence with a snap.

Then it was only the charcoal from Rin's explosive rebirth and Lewin's corpse in the room to fill his nose with the smell of death and ash.

Mephisto left without further hesitation, summoning his phone to his hand and making some calls.

"You lying monster!" Angel shouted at him from the other end of the table they gathered around.

"Oh? Are you sure you're not talking about Mr Lewin?" Mephisto smirked at the apocalyptic fury his comment brought out of the righteous fool of a human.

Lucy and Osceola shared grim frowns at Angel's side while the impassive faces of the Grigori still couldn't hide that Lewin's betrayal had shaken them from their lofty positions.

"To think that Lewin would be a part of a faction like that, against the Order, against us," Lucy started, trailing off with a weary exhale.

"It's hard to imagine, but I suppose we won't have to once the data and evidence is recovered from that lab," Osceola said, finishing Lucy's thought.

"Are you seriously going to trust the words of this demon?" Angel said, a snarl twisting his mouth as he slammed his hands to the table.

Were those fangs sharpening in Angel's mouth? Mephisto had to hide the giddy joy his little surprise for Angel festering in the wings sent through his nerves.

But this wasn't the time for that revelation.

"I have done nothing but protect my charge from his unjust kidnapping and cruel torture at the hands of our esteemed comrade, his own teacher, if you'll remember," Mephisto said, a mock frown of offense to the accusations.

"You may even bring in Miss Kirigakure and Yukio Okumura if you doubt me, they were attacked as well, and you'll find I was at my home for the night by then," he added, brushing his claws to his chest and smiling at the flaring nostrils and twitching jaw it prompted from Angel.

The Grigori and remaining arc knights watched the volley in silence, waiting to see if Angel would wear himself out or Mephisto would slip up, perhaps.

"That's another thing, how did you know he was taken," came the hissed question.

"Ah, Amaimon came to retrieve me when he discovered what had happened, another thing you may confirm with Mr Okumura and Miss Kirigakure."

Oops, Mephisto hid another cackle, did the mention of Amaimon startle the poor humans?

They were certainly frozen as if it had.

"What does the Earth King have to do with the Satan spawn?" Lucy finally spoke, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh, didn't you hear? I assumed Mr Lewin would have informed everyone," Mephisto said, once more affecting a look of disbelief, though he did find it _fascinating_ that Lewin had kept that information to himself, "the Earth King and the Satan spawn are in a rather intimate _relationship."_

He paused to let it sink in, smile stretching with the widening eyes that locked on him, "they have been for some time."

Angel exploded, hand slicing the air in front of his face with his next words bellowing in the room.

"Don't you see this is just more reason to execute the Satan spawn now? He's already being further corrupted by their evil!"

"Why didn't you inform us?" Shemihaza spoke, mouth a stern line under her hood.

Mephisto shook his head, hands raised in an exaggerated shrug, "as I said, I assumed Mr Lewin would have informed you at the Grigori of any pertinent information he thought would require immediate attention."

His eyes shuttered in a wicked look at Angel's increasingly horrified disbelief, "it seems he didn't deem something of that nature important enough to share."

"They need to both be-" Angel cut himself off, panting in rage before he could collect himself and snarl out the rest of his sentence, "they need to be separated and the Satan Spawn _caged_ before he kills another exorcist!"

His smile froze on his face, body stilling as he stared into the hateful eyes glaring back at him.

Cage Rin? They had tried that before. He had brought Rin to them himself. Separate Rin from Amaimon?

Mephisto placed his hands, claws tapping to the hard surface of the table as he unfolded from his relaxed pose.

He leant forward, his smile bared fangs.

"I very much doubt anything, even your greatest efforts, could keep Amaimon from Rin, though you are _welcome_ to try."

They _were_ more than welcome to try, he would wave Amaimon by as he stormed the Vatican to get to Rin.

"Then what about your greatest efforts, demon?" Angel snapped back, his sheer bull-headedness astounding to Mephisto. He didn't think he'd ever seen another human as deluded as Angel.

"I would never think to tell another King, one of my brothers, the Baal, what they can or can't claim, think of the anarchy it would inspire among us."

"Enough," Shemihaza said, drawing a betrayed expression from Angel, "nothing can be decided until everything has been collected and analyzed and a trial date set, if needed, afterwards."

The impromptu meeting ended, Lucy and Osceola leaving with a solemn glance to each other before using their respective keys.

Shemihaza gave him a long stare implying she knew he was covering far worse but keeping mum per their agreement.

And Angel…

"I don't care what information comes out, if Lewin is guilty, whether you and that disgusting, dangerous beast are put on trial or not," he said, the threat coming through lips trembling with hate, "I know you're a murderous monster and I _won't_ be fooled like the others."

Disgusting, dangerous, murderous, monster, hmm? If only he knew, Mephisto smiled again, enjoying the creaking enamel it inspired when Angel grit his teeth.

"I have no idea what you're implying, and frankly I'm insulted that you would level those words at me, I bid you goodbye, Angel."

He got another growl for his efforts before Angel used his own key and stalked through the door.

Then he was the last one in the room.

Mephisto breathed deeply, the success of another well-crafted manipulation sending shivers through his body that he reveled in.

It was time to go back to Rin and Amaimon.

The pale winter sun fell across his face, warming his skin through the window until he opened his eyes to take in his empty kitchen.

A short summons and Belial appeared at his side.

"Bring Mr Okumura here, Belial."

Another moment and he was faced with Yukio, the foolish thing trying to put up a mask of distant professionalism.

"Good morning, Sir Pheles, you needed me? Is Rin awake?"

Yukio slid his gaze as if looking for Rin, Mephisto allowed his diversion.

"What are your plans for after breakfast, Mr Okumura? Will you be heading out?"

That stopped Yukio, something of his polite facade cracking.

"Yes sir, I was going to check on the others and Shura to see if there was anything else I could do to help in getting them ready to be around Rin again now that I've seen him."

A very noble excuse to avoid Rin, Mephisto hid a smile at what he was about to say to shatter those plans.

"Of course, they're probably very shaken by the news about what's happened to Rin," he said, pinning Yukio in a knowing stare, "you will be back here for dinner with your brother, I'm assuming."

"What?" Yukio startled, guard coming up like a trapped animal in a cage, like Rin had been, "I thought I was only staying the night, that I would stay with Shura or find my own place today."

He did, did he? Mephisto would be happy to correct his error.

"Well, since you're going through so much trouble to ensure his mental health, I only thought you would be here to keep him company so this doesn't feel like a gilded cage he can't leave."

The bars closed in on Yukio, every word cutting off his exits, and Mephisto prepared for the panicked thrashings of an animal backed into a corner.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on your home, Sir," Yukio said, a false demure as he clearly wracked his brain for a reason to leave.

"Nonsense, Mr Okumura, as you have seen, there is plenty of room here until this situation with your brother can be settled and we find you two a new suitable dorm."

Not that he actually wanted the younger Okumura twin anywhere near his home or Rin, but Rin was attached to the venomous snake and it would aid his recovery.

And if it seemed to do the opposite, if Yukio's presence hurt Rin rather than helped him, then Mephisto would see about easing him along to Lucifer sooner than later.

"I'll have a lot of my duties as an exorcist and getting the exwires ready for their trials coming up that might keep me late," Yukio said, words hard as he felt the leash pulled taut around his neck.

A clever excuse, Mephisto's eyes narrowed with a smile, feeling the pupils slit, "of course, those are coming up, and I believe you have a wedding to attend as a guest coming up as well."

So fun, seeing the way his crafted logic put false hope in Yukio's eyes.

"Yes sir, exactly."

"So then you'll agree that being here for dinners and breakfasts is the least you can manage with your duties to consider."

His smile exposed fangs as Yukio froze, the jaws of the trap snapping closed on his legs.

"Sir Pheles I-" Yukio cut himself off and taking a breath to steady himself.

When he spoke, his voice came out hard, "I might be out late after the tutoring lessons I have set up, breakfast should be doable."

"Really," Mephisto breathed the word out, "I thought I made it clear, no more dangerous training, Mr. Okumura."

That rabbit heartbeat started up again in Yukio's chest, but his stance stayed firm and Mephisto would have laughed at the attempt if he'd been in the mood for it. He wasn't.

"I'm off the clock, what I do with my time is my business."

It was, was it?

"You do realize I am your boss, right?" Mephisto tapped a clawed finger to his elbow where his arms crossed, the movement like a metronome that drew Yukio's attention, though he struggled against it, "I can always rearrange your schedule if you think you need time off to be there for Rin in his recovery."

He could see Yukio gritting his teeth, blue eyes glaring like cold flint from behind his glasses. They weren't Yuri Egin's eyes, not like Rin's were. A hint of his true parentage shone through as the trap bit harder into his leg.

"That's kind of you, sir," came the ever-polite response- his _kindness_, hah! Mephisto had to resist laughing again.

"I would prefer being here for the mornings and having my evenings free, Sir Pheles," Yukio continued while Mephisto had to wonder at the gall of the worm.

He had met beings more monstrous than Rin who had more grateful and attentive siblings. It seemed Yukio wouldn't be swayed from the path he'd put him on.

Mephisto's breath caught in his lungs as he realized that, for a moment, he'd been working against his own plans. The plans he'd had in place for centuries in which he'd accounted for every possible outcome through trial and error and always had a fallback in the event of unforeseen complications.

Complications like Rin.

It had to stop, "that will work fine, Mr Okumura, why don't I go retrieve your brother, Kuro, and Amaimon and we can begin breakfast, you may join me, if you'd like."

Really, it would be in Yukio's best interest if he didn't take him up on his offer. His scent had become bothersome to Mephisto over the course of their conversation.

Yukio must have sensed something off with him too, or he just didn't want to see Amaimon any more than he had to. The feeling was mutual, in Amaimon's case.

"No thank you, I'll wait here."

Good.

"I'll return shortly then."

The nod of acceptance had barely started before Mephisto vanished from the kitchen appearing in the hall outside of the guest room and taking a deep breath to prepare for an entirely new challenge.

He knocked and entered the room, seeing Amaimon where he'd expected him, head propped on Rin's shoulder and arms tucked to his chest with Rin's hugged between them. Amaimon had tensed at his entry, though he'd been quick to hide it, and Mephisto wouldn't have noticed except that he'd been looking for the signs.

Kuro blinked up at him from his place on the other side of Rin, standing and arching his spine in a stretch.

"Are we getting up now? He still looks pretty out of it," Kuro said, glancing between Rin and Mephisto.

"I'm here to collect everyone for breakfast," Mephisto snapped his fingers, though nothing seemed to change on the surface, "he'll wake up on his own now, come."

The anticipated argument from Amaimon never happened. Mephisto didn't show any hint of the surprise on his face as he led the way from the room. He watched Amaimon stare with empty eyes at Rin's sleeping form on the bed before closing the door and trailing after.

A ghost could have been following him and it would have carried more presence, cast more of a shadow than Amaimon did. He was being _moody_.

"The Order is at the lab to collect their evidence and we'll likely know by the end of the week whether Rin or I will be on trial," he said to test how deep Amaimon's mood went.

When he just got a soft sound of acknowledgment from Amaimon, he snapped to bring out the drive with the footage he'd removed, "I have something you may wish to see."

His gaze slid to the side to check the reaction and had to fight a frown when only flat gold eyes met his. Kuro walked with wary steps at Amaimon's feet, perhaps realizing he was caught between giants again.

"The recordings and footage of the night, including," he drew out as he waved the small drive in his hand, "Rin dealing with Lewin and what follows."

Amaimon's gaze flicked to the drive, but his expression didn't change, nothing changed.

"Ah."

And that was it, a slow blink of Amaimon's eyelids and no further response.

So it seemed Amaimon wouldn't be so forgiving or quick to get over his anger this time. He would have to, for Rin's sake, if nothing else.

Mephisto vanished the drive and the thought occurred to him that Amaimon might be hoping that the past would prove too much for Rin. That Rin would give up on Mephisto. That Rin and Amaimon would be happy together without Mephisto in the picture.

It was too bad for Amaimon then, that Rin was as much Mephisto's as they were each other's. He would not be giving up his own claim any time soon.

"In any case," he said when there was nothing forthcoming from Amaimon, "we have some present concerns to focus on."

Amaimon did sharpen at that, head rising to stare at Mephisto before Mephisto turned back fully to keep walking.

"Rin will more than likely want to see the rest of the exwires at some point, as well as Miss Kirigakure, so we should be prepared for that to end poorly."

It was something he would prefer to head off as long as possible. Rin being accosted by well-meaning humans could only end in flames and more of his things destroyed.

"Yukio will be staying in the mansion for at least as long as it takes to get over this trial, though by his own words I very much doubt he'll be here for any stretch of time," Mephisto said, laying out how he saw the next week going.

A soft growl from Amaimon made a smirk twitch on Mephisto's face, of course the mention of Yukio would be what pulled him from his moping. Amaimon's little rivalry for Rin's affections had been amusing from the start.

"Then, there is that wedding Rin may or may not be capable of attending and after either the trial or the next stage of the plan begins," Mephisto said, hiding a sigh at the way everything had been condensed. The next stage would at least need to be held off until the wedding for the most optimal series of events to occur, though that didn't mean it wouldn't work at any other time.

Sometimes, Mephisto thought it would be nice to be free as Amaimon was, though, as he would learn, even that freedom had a time limit. Soon, Amaimon would have as little opportunity to run as Yukio did, and his cornered thrashings would be far worse.

They were almost to the kitchen so Mephisto tabled the information dump and prepared to play house with the littlest Satan spawn.

Yukio stiffened when he saw their arrival while Mephisto smiled with a hint more fang than was appropriate.

"Rin will join us in a few moments," he began to head off unnecessary questions from Yukio, "now, then, who wants oatmeal?"

"_No_," Amaimon hissed out, fangs clicking, "Rin won't like it, choose something else."

Really, such demands from him, Mephisto almost growled back but contained it less things devolve further than the fragile peace could handle.

"Omelettes, then," he said and watched Amaimon nod slowly before fading back to the wisp of a demon he'd turned into ever since their confrontation.

Not that Yukio seemed to recognize it, freezing as Amaimon slunk past him to hop on the end of the counter in silence.

Kuro jumped up onto a chair after a small good morning to Yukio, not that he could understand the words, but Kuro was ever a polite demon.

And the stage was set, a soft clacking pattern of claws on marble picking up as Amaimon entertained himself with scaring Yukio. Mephisto understood the urge, he just made it so _easy_.

Amaimon could genuinely be upset with him, now that he thought about it. Mephisto's eyes narrowed and his knife came down harder than it should have. If he believed he was capable of love, did that also make him susceptible to other human conditions? Like some sort of strange placebo effect, one following another until only his abilities separated him from the worms.

That emotion Amaimon now allowed to rule him, to influence his decisions. Did he really believe that throwing a fit like he was would change anything?

Shifting met his ears and he registered Kuro leaving the kitchen, fine, Rin would be up already.

He put everything behind him, knowing he would have to focus on keeping things running smoothly and all the pawns in their places. If that meant tabling the mystery that was Amaimon for the time being, then he would do that.

Playing along with the fragile peace after Rin arrived with Kuro would just be one small part to act in his role.

Later, staring down into Rin's eyes in the shower while Amaimon continued to pretend he wasn't ignoring him, Mephisto imagined how those eyes would look with hate in them, or with the glaze of death.

And he wondered what Rin saw when he looked into his eyes.

In truth, even though his purveyor-ship was in time, it seemed to be running out faster than he could control. It was like he'd told Amaimon, he'd known from the start how little Rin had left. He'd planned it by his own hand.

A year and some change was such a mayfly time, in the grand scheme of things.

Which was why, when Amaimon couldn't just let Rin find his peace with their lies and betrayal, he felt his true nature uncurl yet further.

Light from long dead stars and the cold vastness of space gleamed from behind his eyes where he met the magma glare from Amaimon.

So it appeared he'd stopped hiding under a gauze of emptiness anymore.

And still, despite the warning snarl in his voice and how very little patience he had for Amaimon's new rebellion, Amaimon wouldn't be cowed.

Like _love_ somehow made him above the natural order of things.

Above Samael.

"It's okay, guys, it's- I think I need to try sleeping again."

Exhaustion dragged Rin's head and his words down where he pressed forward between Amaimon's shoulder blades.

The red haze that had been encroaching on Mephisto's vision cleared like a storm blown through a town, leaving destructive chaos in its wake. His thoughts, so focused on making Amaimon back down, were now a jumbled mess trying to straighten out before Rin became suspicious at the silence.

Right. He stood, seeing Amaimon tense and not allowing it to affect him as he moved towards them. If he only had a few more weeks to enjoy Rin, then he would take what he, as a demon, selfish and self-serving as he was, could take.

"Okay, Rin," he murmured, touching his hand to the soft hair at the back of Rin's head and feeling the heat that warmed his palm.

His decision solidified with Rin's smile up at him and quiet thanks. Taking what he could have of the time he had left, then savoring the memories for eternity.

He pressed a kiss to the skin between Rin's horns, traced a thumb to his jaw, and let him go.

Amaimon didn't wait, vanishing with Rin.

The emptiness of the room with their abrupt departure echoed like the silence of deep space.

Mephisto got back to work.

* * *

Notes:

But he (Mephisto) is not in love, it doesn't exist, not a real thing, okay? Okay.


	6. Revelation

Summary:

Things come to a head, Mephisto can't run from himself or hide in denial anymore. This goes about as well as you would expect.

Notes:

Well, two extra chapters than planned, 120 more pages/ 30k more words than expected but what can u do amirite?

Just one more epilogue to fluff things up and give u guys something not so heavy and FINALLY this long night can end :D

Song of the Chapter: No Light, No Light by Florence and the Machine

* * *

"You've put us in a difficult situation Samael," Shemihaza said, and he could hear the frown in her voice.

"I could hardly have predicted what Lewin would do, Shemihaza," he said as he leaned back in his chair and hid a sigh.

"We at the Grigori acknowledge that," came the stern response, "however, what I was speaking of was your slaughtering of everyone in that base instead of taking prisoners who we might interrogate."

Ah, interrogate. Samael didn't bother fighting a grin. The humans and their hypocrisies never failed to amuse him. Was it not some months ago that his exwires pretended at trusting Shima, newly revealed as a double agent, all so that he wouldn't be tortured and interrogated by the Order, by Lewin?

Rin had even joined in, not wanting to see someone he knew being tortured- or most likely just someone in general, knowing Rin as he did.

"Yes well, unfortunately that's not what happened that night, I couldn't possibly take chances with the little information I had," Mephisto said as he propped his feet on the desk, "after all, I had no idea what their intentions were with the Satan spawn and had to react as if it were an attack on the Order, and there was Amaimon to consider."

A long silence met his alibi, and his grin stretched further.

"We will contact you within the next three days with our determination."

She hung up without even a cursory goodbye.

Well, it seemed he hadn't made any friends with this newest situation, not that Shemihaza had ever been the warmest of individuals and certainly not after taking up her mantel. Wonderful, a reminder about his true nature every now and then always kept the worms from overstepping their bounds.

Footsteps from the hallway drew him away from his thoughts. He flicked a finger towards the door and it opened to a startled Rin.

The surprise on Rin's face faded to a smile as he held up a plate, "hey, Mephisto, I brought lunch."

There were still lines of exhaustion under his eyes, Mephisto noted as he approached.

Rin had foregone being put under again for a dreamless sleep, so he and Amaimon had spent the night listening to soft whimpers and waiting for another panicked awakening.

And, true to his word, Yukio hadn't returned until well into the night. The baleful look Amaimon had sent in the direction of the sound of Yukio's entrance was at least contained to just that. It seemed the younger Okumura would live to hurt Rin again.

"Thank you, Rin," he said as Rin reached his side, brushing his thumb to one of those lines as he set a kiss to the corner of Rin's mouth, "I suppose you won't let me enjoy my instant ramen for lunch then, hmm?"

A twitching brow and toothy smile met his teasing words, "Not a chance in hell, Mephisto."

Hell, indeed.

"I'll just have to save it for when you're not here to cook for me," he said as his smile stretched. It hit him then that he would be eating a lot of instant ramen once Rin was gone. Well, not that he couldn't hire a chef or order Belial to cook.

He put the idea away to enjoy what Rin had brought him while Rin got comfortable on the couch with his phone.

"Hey, Mephisto," Rin spoke up a bit later, glancing up from his phone with a hesitant cast to his gaze, "I think I'm ready to see the others now, if that's okay with you."

The exwires, he meant. His friends.

Mephisto set his plate aside and considered Rin. It had only been two nights since the kidnapping and Rin still couldn't sleep without waking up with hollowed eyes and stress pouring off of him in waves, never mind the heat from flames pressing just under his skin.

Another combustion seemed imminent, he just didn't know what would be the trigger that set Rin off.

Rin knew it too, by the tension that bowed his shoulders and had his hands clenching like he wanted to rub them to his arms in his usual nervous habit.

But Rin's weakness meant he couldn't say no to his friends or his twin. Mephisto suspected Yukio had brought up that they wanted to see Rin to know he was okay for themselves.

If it were up to him, they would all be waiting much, much longer.

"If you believe you can handle it, that will be fine, Rin," he said to see if Rin would recognize on his own that the self-sacrifice wasn't necessary.

A long, controlled exhale left Rin's mouth, his head dropping to shield his face and his hands coming to grip tightly together on his knees.

"I have to try, right?" Blue eyes met his when Rin raised his head again, "I can't hide inside forever with you and Amaimon

So he would choose to martyr himself yet again. Mephisto hid the disapproval, it wasn't something in Rin that could be changed overnight, despite Amaimon's best efforts so far. The parallels between Rin and his mother were strong in that regard, as were the paths they took.

And their ends.

"Very well, Rin, when should we expect them?" Rin masked his tension at his question, covering himself in layers of optimism and a smile.

"After dinner, I think."

A wise decision, in this case, because it would give Rin an out if he decided it was too much and he had to retire early.

"That should work, Rin."

"Awesome," Rin said as he stood and stretched, the soft t-shirt he wore over his sweatpants riding up to expose the line of his abdomen. Mephisto's mind flashed back to the footage and had to remind himself that anything more than kisses was off the table until Rin initiated it.

"I'll let you get back to work, do you want me to take that?" Came the question as Rin started over to him and reached for the plate.

Mephisto snapped and vanished the plate before he could, taking Rin's hand to press a kiss to his palm instead and hiding that he was scenting Rin out at the same time, "No, Rin, go enjoy you day, I'll be done in time for dinner with you."

He watched Rin leave, tracking the white-furred tail that swept freely at his feet until Rin shut the door behind him with a last smile over his shoulder.

The soft click of the door closing shook him from his thoughts. He breathed in once more to catch the fading traces of Rin before moving on to deal with yet another round of covering his bases.

When he looked up next, the day had passed and a crick formed in his neck that popped when he rolled it to get rid of the ache.

Shallow heat from the weak winter sun tried to warm the back of his head where it set through the window behind him and lit his room in a pale orange glow.

It was time to see what Rin had gotten up to and make sure Amaimon hadn't destroyed parts of his house out of boredom from staying in one place for too long.

He found them in the kitchen, Rin turning to him with a grin and Amaimon a blank face.

Kuro sat at the counter watching Rin cook and one step away from drooling at whatever it was he chose to make that night.

Packets of pork belly were piled to the right of Rin while he chopped vegetables to the left.

Mephisto frowned, but wiped the expression before it could be noticed.

"What are we having then?" He asked, leaning against the counter behind Rin so he could keep an eye on the situation.

"Well, I know you like your instant stuff, but I thought ramen would be fun, plus, I've never made it before so you guys get to be my tester group," Rin said as he put the vegetables in a bowl to get started on the meat.

He would have been charmed if he didn't see all the ways this particular meal might go wrong.

Did Amaimon see it? A quick glance told him nothing, Amaimon focused on Rin and keeping himself guarded from him still, while Kuro remained blissfully ignorant.

The smell of the raw pork hit his senses as Rin opened the package, laying it on the cutting board and pressing the knife to it with practiced movements.

Rin made the first cut, a smooth slice that parted the thick layers of skin and fat to the pink meat below.

Breath locked in his lungs when the lines of Rin's back tensed. His hand paused half-way through the cut, a slight tremble to it that had Mephisto getting ready to act.

Amaimon's narrowed eyes said he saw the reaction too, a stillness putting him at the same readiness as Mephisto.

But a soft exhale from Rin and the completion of his motion removed some of the tension so Mephisto could breathe.

It stopped again when Amaimon's tension didn't ease, his spine straightening when it only seemed to increase while Rin went for a second cut.

The knife clattered to the floor.

"_Hah-ngh_!" Rin scrabbled for the sink edge, shoulders hunching as he bowed over it to dry heave until he gagged.

Trembling weakness had Rin sinking to the floor when the heaving trailed off.

Mephisto moved the second Rin made it the rest of the way down, crouching to sit and give him a body to rest on while Amaimon did the same at his other side.

Kuro settled on Rin's lap, though Mephisto saw Rin made no motion to take comfort in petting him as he'd done before.

Instead, Rin's hands furrowed into his pants as short breaths shook his chest and he bit his lips to keep from opening them for a reason Mephisto thought might have to do with the smell of the pork still in the air.

He snapped his fingers to clear it away.

An abrupt jerk of Rin's head to crash back into the cabinet had Amaimon hissing and Kuro startling at the loud sound.

"Dammit!" Rin snarled, fangs bared as his eyes squeezed closed and he growled, a threat against himself, more than anyone else in the room.

There was nothing they could do for this struggle in Rin. Mephisto pressed his nose to his hair while Amaimon leaned to rest at his spot on Rin's shoulder so he could collect himself in silence.

Humans often used shushing to calm another upset human and Mephisto found himself letting out the soft noises now.

They sat like that as Mephisto waited for the heart beat in Rin's chest to stop racing and the flames under his skin to die back.

"Will instant ramen suffice for tonight, Rin?" He murmured when he thought Rin was ready.

A shuddering breath escaped Rin as his eyes opened and he began scratching behind Kuro's ears, "yeah, okay, we can use the vegetables I already cut up to give it something extra."

"Let me, Rin," he said, staring pointedly at Amaimon to take Rin to the counter so he could finish dinner, "I am something of an expert when it comes to instant noodles."

The humor got a snort out of Rin so Mephisto knew they were past the most dangerous part.

He'd just started setting the bowls on the counter a little while later when a door opening got all of their attentions.

Mephisto snapped a look up at Amaimon as they both registered multiple footsteps heading towards the kitchen.

"They're here early?" Rin gasped, breath picking up in his lungs until he pulled out his phone and cursed, "shit, I totally forgot I told Yukio now, I thought we'd be done already!"

By the look in Amaimon's eyes, he shared Mephisto's hesitation.

"I'm sorry, guys," Rin said, moving to stand and turning, panicked, to the door, "you can eat if you want, I'll go meet with them in another room maybe."

He would have to be the villain in this situation, since it seemed Amaimon was incapable of standing up to Rin anymore.

"Rin," his name paused Rin's anxious movements and blue eyes blinked up at him, "I believe it may be best to put this off for another day."

"What, why?" The question was meant to stall, he saw Rin knew the answer, "because of just now? I'm fine."

He wasn't fine.

"You don't need to push yourself, your friends will understand that you need time to recover," he said in an attempt to reason with Rin.

But he could see the stubborn cast to Rin's expression.

"I can't hide from them, either, Mephisto, I won't," Rin said in turn as he squared his shoulders.

A knock and a hesitant call for Rin sounded on the side entrance to the kitchen, their time for decision making was up.

"Rin," Mephisto tried once more, caution in his voice while Amaimon shifted, wary of the standoff, perhaps.

Something changed in Rin.

"Let me see them, Mephisto," he said, voice low and head bowed so his eyes were hooded in a dangerous stare.

Mephisto held that gaze, wondering if he'd read the situation and Rin's state of mind correctly after all.

But he nodded, letting Rin push his limits, and gesturing to the door to open it for the humans waiting on the other side.

"Ri- oh, Sir Pheles," Yukio's gaze flicked between the occupants of the room as a mask fell over his face, "and Amaimon, I didn't realize you hadn't eaten yet, we can leave and come back later."

So polite, was Yukio Okumura, Mephisto almost applauded his efforts, but he hadn't taken into account the mix of personalities he'd brought with him into the lion's den.

"Rin!"

Shiemi darted out from behind Yukio, tears in her eyes as she flung herself into Rin's arms and already letting out a stream of jumbled apologies.

Amaimon tensed again and Mephisto almost thought it was something as simple and human as jealousy before he remembered Amaimon had spotted Rin's earlier breakdown before even he had.

"Hey, Shiemi, it's okay, it's not your fault, I'm fine," Rin said to calm her as Mephisto began looking for the signs that Amaimon must have used to spot when it became too much.

A growl came from the door and Mephisto readied for the next wave of humans to besiege Rin.

"Dammit, Rin, it's not okay!" Bon stalked towards Rin, fists clenched and teeth gritting with obvious shame until he was too close, standing a foot away and huffing in self-directed rage.

There, a miniscule adjustment to Rin's stance, but now that Mephisto was looking, he could see how it made Rin curl into himself behind defensive walls.

"Yeah, I don't know how anyone could be fine after that, man," Shima said, the next to speak, and his thoughtless words had Mephisto narrowing his gaze as he considered sending him away. Rin would be happier for it, his distrust of their resident spy not hidden in the slightest.

A shiver went through Rin. Amaimon bowed his head and glared with darkening gold eyes at the humans crowding further around Rin from where he still stood next to Kuro by the sink.

Luckily for Shima, Konekomaru reached out a hand to his elbow and silenced him with a frown, "we just came to check on you, Rin, how are you feeling?"

Yukio stayed away from the group and Mephisto knew his surface reason would be that he was keeping an eye on things while the exwires got their chance with Rin, but Mephisto suspected it was to keep distance from Rin in general.

It could be that he also knew the signs, given he'd grown up with Rin.

Shiemi's arms tightened further around Rin despite the way he tried to calm her, and Izumo spoke next, "it might not have been our fault, Rin, but- but we still messed up, you still got hurt!"

Ah, the one time Mephisto would have preferred Izumo keep her familial issues behind a surly mask and she instead determined to confuse them with her guilt over Rin's kidnapping. The displacement that her inability to save her mother or sister left her with was the exact opposite of helpful to Rin.

They surrounded Rin now, an annoying chatter of monkeys that set Mephisto's nerves on edge and his fangs elongating under pursed lips.

"I'm fine- I'm fine, now, guys," Rin's voice came out breathless, his hands gripping the fabric of Shiemi's coat with the claws that had formed on them.

"If there's anything you need from us, let us know, okay, Rin?" Poor Konekomaru, so earnest in his desire to be helpful, Mephisto would have allowed him in, at least.

"Thanks, Koneko-"

"I was doing research all night and I found three places nearby that can help with stuff like this, I brought the numbers and I printed out all the information so you can look it over, Rin!" Bon, shouting in his typical abrasive manner and holding a stack of papers and being so. Very. Helpful.

Growling, too soft for the humans to hear, had started up from Amaimon. Mephisto realized he'd begun to echo it and forced it away.

Should he take over the situation before it devolved further or continue to allow Rin his illusion of control?

"No!" Rin's sudden hiss to Bon's words only settled Mephisto's mind. The humans had to go, sooner than later, regardless of Rin's desires.

"What, why not, Rin?"

"I just-"

"Woah, Rin, is that instant ramen? I didn't think I'd ever see you willingly eating that."

His irksome spy would be spending a lot of time with the Illuminati for the next few days.

"Please, you should listen to Bon, Rin!" Shiemi pulled back, tears making her cheeks blotchy and her face crumpled with distress.

"No, I-" Rin said, and Mephisto could see the pallor hit his skin as he broke into a cold sweat.

"They're all excellent facilities, Mr. Okumura and I both looked them over, Rin," Konekomaru said as he stepped yet closer.

Rin flinched away, breaking from Shiemi's hold.

"I can't- I can't-"

"Why, because of Sir Pheles?" A dangerous slivering of his eyes at his name from the brash worm's mouth did nothing to prevent his next foolish words, "we looked that up too, you don't need his permission for any of this, just check yourself in!"

_Enough_.

Bon reached out, a plea in the wings as he pressed the papers to Rin's chest.

And then he touched the back of Rin's head.

Rin broke.

"Don't touch me- _don't touch me_!"

Blue flickered and Bon yelped.

"Amaimon!" Mephisto snapped the order out, at the same time snapping his fingers to move the exwires behind him and away from Rin.

Amaimon moved, vanishing with Rin, hopefully to some place that would be able to handle a combustion.

"Hey, what gives!" Bon yelled, clutching his hand to his chest and glaring.

Mephisto flicked a hand and silenced him, staring with a quelling glare of his own.

The worms realized how poor his mood was and froze.

"Do you know what just happened?"

A rhetorical question, his expression said he would take no answers.

"You, with all your well-meaning words and careful research, have just triggered Rin into the same explosion that nearly incinerated myself and Amaimon the night we rescued him."

Wide, terrified eyes watched him as he loomed, voice serpentine, "you do recall what those flames can do to weak human flesh, yes?"

His little pawns from Kyoto blanched, perhaps finally realizing the severity of their crimes.

"But your mistake wasn't trying to convince Rin to leave," leave Amaimon, leave _him_, for a place wholly unequipped to handle a being of Rin's caliber.

Another step forward, his pawns stepped back, "it was _touching_ him."

A gun cocking hit his senses.

"Sir Pheles, please step back."

Yukio again, this time having grown a spine in defense of his students. Too bad he couldn't seem to find that nerve for Rin's sake.

Mephisto let his lip curl over a fang in a half-snarl, half-sneer, "I believe there's a rule of hospitality that says you shouldn't point a weapon at your host, Mr. Okumura."

"Where did you have Amaimon take Rin just now?"

Insolent, he had already answered that and they deserved no more.

"I said no weapons, Mr. Okumura," he gestured and the gun pointed at him rusted into ruin between Yukio's fingers.

"I'm sorry, please tell Rin I'm sorry!" Shiemi cried, bowing to him and interrupting Yukio's own alarmed cry.

She, he would consider allowing back, in time.

The rest…

"You've all overstayed your welcome," Mephisto raised his hand to snap, "if you wish, you may bring your concerns to Miss Kirigakure, goodbye."

He vanished them to the front entrance, they could make their own ways home.

Now, to find Rin and Amaimon.

"Kuro," the familiar, who had up until this point been staying smartly out of the way, jerked his head up, "I will return with them, stay here."

The submissive nod came so he left, following the trail through the ether that Amaimon had put out to their location.

And arrived, searching for the signs of destruction.

There, a ring of black amidst the rubble of the empty plane Amaimon had brought them to.

Rin sat at the epicenter, Amaimon a watchful guardian at his side.

Leave it to Amaimon to bring them to a rock pile. Mephisto hid his wry exasperation and kneeled to his position beside Rin.

Then there was nothing to do but wait for Rin to collect himself enough to give them their direction, or he would have to do it himself, if Rin couldn't.

A short movement and shifting gravel beneath Rin prepared Mephisto for him to rest his head on his arm.

Warmth seeped through the sleeve of his suit when Rin's hand gripped it, though he couldn't see what expression he wore.

"Have you guys ever-" Rin said after a long moment, then trailed off, but Mephisto could guess the end of the question. It was time to take a page out of Amaimon's book and try for blunt honesty.

"Yes, long in the past." Long before they'd begun to play at being human.

"Oh," Rin said in a whisper.

"Oh," a whimper this time.

The scent of salt reached him as Rin started to cry.

"I smelled the pork and remembered- and I started _drooling_ and then Shiemi was there and I just remembered how _easy_ it was, I-"

Rin shook against him, eyes unseeing and breathing choked in another panic attack, the only sounds around them his pained cries and the hollow wind.

He shared a long look over Rin's head with Amaimon. Rin wasn't like them, didn't see the humans as cattle for slaughter or amusing pets or, even more than that, so far beneath notice that to accidentally snuff out one or two or a thousand of their flames was as trivial as wiping out an annoying ant colony from a home.

"Anyone who brings you to that point will have deserved it," Amaimon said, voice a low threat at the thought of who might be the next doomed soul.

But in this case his words were more blunt than Rin needed. Mephisto added the rest of Amaimon's thought process for him, "you are not someone who will naturally ever resort to such measures, Rin, unless pushed far beyond what your rational brain can handle."

That should do it, Mephisto startled as Rin tugged at his sleeve, gaze turning up to meet his so he could see the resolve burning in the blue depths.

"And you'll stop me if I ever try again, please stop me," Rin said, mouth open after his pleas as he panted, on the cusp of hyperventilating.

A deep growl from Amaimon tore Rin's attention away, finding him glaring into his eyes, "I'll kill them before they can push you that far."

Rin didn't need promises of more pain and death. Mephisto scowled at Amaimon, reaching to take Rin's jaw with the tips of his fingers and tilt it to look at him again, brushing his thumb to the wet tears that hadn't dried.

"If we can, we will stop you, Rin," he said to calm the fear that had planted its poisonous roots into Rin's mind, "but Amaimon is right, if it's within our power, it will never reach that point."

Not a promise he could keep, not when they hadn't been able to prevent this in the first place. Rin would know that, when he came down from the ledge, but he also knew Rin didn't need harsh realities, not after he'd just experienced them.

The broken stream of thanks from Rin layered in his mind while he waited for them to dwindle, keeping his focus on the distant horizon until the wind and their heartbeats were the only sounds.

"Can we go back now?" Rin asked in a cracking whisper.

He gave his assent and brought them to just outside the kitchen, "come, Rin, you still need to eat."

"Yeah, okay," came the muted reply as Rin shuffled to the bowls, laid out and forgotten to cool but warmed with a wash of heat from Rin's palms in a display of control Mephisto hadn't quite realized he'd attained.

Kuro leapt to Rin's lap, casting a worried gaze up to Rin but settling when Rin managed a smile for him and started to eat.

A phone call rang out through the kitchen, startling Rin enough to send the chopsticks tumbling from his fingers and earn him an irritated glare from Amaimon.

"Shura." Mephisto stared at the name on his phone and held back the urge to destroy the damned piece of technology because he knew it would do nothing to keep Shura from storming his home if he ignored her.

"Apologies, Rin, it looks like I'll be dealing with this sooner than I had hoped to," he said to the newly wary eyes Rin watched him with.

Rin picked the chopsticks back up with a careful hand, using them as a way to steady himself before speaking.

"They called her," at his nod, Rin's lips pulled back in a frustrated growl, "I'm not leaving you guys, I don't care what they say or how many places they throw at me."

His thoughts exactly, though it was interesting that Rin echoed the sentiment when not just one, but all of his little humans had suggested the idea.

"She'll more than likely want to come here, Rin, though I can hold her off if you think it will be too much." Trying to keep Shura from Rin would be akin to keeping a mother bear from her cub, something he had no problems with doing but which could have irritating consequences later.

"It's like you said, it'll probably only egg her on," Rin paraphrased his words back at him from their last conversation involving Shura after his mission to retrieve her from Aomori. A slight smile twitched at his lips to see Rin finding humor even in his weariness.

Mephisto had a realization that he was about to have another confrontation with Shura that, previously, had ended with her sword through his chair and resolved to have it somewhere he didn't mind getting destroyed.

He quirked a smile back at Rin, then took the call, readying himself for the outpouring of fury heading his way.

"We need to talk, now," Shura snarled through the phone.

"What, no hello, Miss Kirigakure?"

"Can it, ya clown, I'm headed over and Rin had better be there."

She hung up and Mephisto vanished his phone, knowing a lost cause when he heard one.

"Mephisto," Rin's hesitant voice called him back to the kitchen, seeing the hunched form at the counter as Rin toyed with the noodles in his bowl before glancing up at him, "you should eat too, before she gets here."

Amaimon and Kuro had already finished their portions. Rin, in his human way, had been _waiting_ for him to start eating.

"Of course, Rin," Mephisto said, leaning to reward the polite gesture with a kiss, timed briefly enough that Rin wouldn't feel the claustrophobia associated with the muzzle.

The small, grateful smile he got in turn provided some measure of defense for the coming storm.

So it was that when Shura slammed the front door to his home open, blowing past a put-upon Belial, Mephisto could face her with the humor he tended to have when dealing with angered humans.

And he would worry about why that humor didn't come as easily to him as it always had at a later point.

"Where is he," Shura demanded more than questioned, staring him down with lavender-hued eyes that, were she a demon, would be glowing in rage.

A lovely sight, to be sure, but not one he wanted to cater to that night.

"We've just finished dinner, Miss Kirigakure," he said as he turned to lead her back to the kitchen, hearing the steps behind him as Shura made no effort to soften them or her ire.

When they made it, he found Amaimon leaned back against the sink again, eyeing Shura with a masked expression and crossed arms. She ignored his stand-offish attitude and went straight to Rin to pull him into a hug.

"Don't scare me like that again, kid," Shura whispered fiercely, tucking Rin's head to her shoulder, "I don't know what I woulda done if I lost you, got it?"

Rin's shock faded and Mephisto watched his face calm instead of tense as he'd done with the others.

"I won't, I promise," Rin said just as quietly back and raising his hands to grip Shura in a solid hug.

He saw a subtle shift from Amaimon and his eyes, locked on where Rin and Shura held each other, were wide as if he'd had an epiphany.

Was it the action? No, Amaimon barely tolerated anyone, human or demon, that had hung off of Rin in the past. Then it had to be something in their brief dialogue that triggered the reaction in Amaimon, though he couldn't say what importance it held outside of the typical human show of concern for each other.

"So," Shura huffed, pulling back and sniffing before wrapping her layers of brash attitude around herself again, "what happened earlier?"

"Ah, there was some miscommuni-" Mephisto began.

"_Not_ from you," Shura said, snapping a growl at him and once more showing Mephisto that she should have been born a demon, "Rin?"

The question directed at him had Rin slumping to rest his elbows to the counter with a sigh, chewing at his lips before answering.

"It was too much, I should have done one at a time like I did for Kuro and Yukio."

"You're always doing that to yourself, Rin," Shura echoed his sigh and Mephisto's thoughts. It seemed everyone who encountered Rin would eventually try to break him of his martyr complex and each attempt was as doomed to failure as the last.

"And," Rin continued instead of acknowledging Shura's admonishment, "they just kept trying to make me leave here."

Shura straightened at the sudden glare Rin subjected her to, his pupils slit and demonic and his mouth a grim line as if daring her to try the same as the others had done.

"I'm not leaving here, not unless someone's _dragging_ me out, dammit."

Now, to see how Shura would deal with her charge. Mephisto knew she would have both Yukio's wishes and Rin's alongside her own judgement warring together.

Another sigh left Shura's mouth, her hand propped on her hip as she studied Rin, possibly following the same signals he had when conceding to Rin's will.

"No one's making you do anything, Rin," she finally said, "they're all just worried about you and upset because they feel helpless and this is the only thing they can do."

She cocked a brow towards Amaimon, snorting and shaking her head, "I told Mephisto, Amaimon's probably the only one who's not gonna turn you over to the Grigori if they come knocking and I'm guessing that extends to anyone else trying, too."

Hearing his name had Amaimon's expression shuttering to hide what must have been surprise at the positive mention from a human who had, up until that point, been just shy of antagonistic towards him.

Mephisto thought he would have a long way to go before he got anything similar from Shura. Which would have been something of a pity if he hadn't known exactly what buttons he pushed when they interacted.

"Okay, good," Rin said as some of the mulishness bled from his stance and a sheepish smile took over in its place, "er, I'm sorry, for overreacting, I just-"

"Man, shut up, kid, you got nothing to apologize for," Shura said, cutting Rin off before he began the self-flagellation, and ruffling her hair, "I'm just making sure you're okay staying here with these two and to get the rest of your friends under control before they get themselves even more worked up."

"Thanks, Shura," Rin said, seeing through the bluster in Shura's words and smiling.

"Good," Shura repeated Rin, then turned to Mephisto, the softness she'd displayed for Rin gone, replaced by a hard glare, "now, we gotta talk, Mephisto."

The worried frown on Rin's face and blank expression on Amaimon's followed him from the room until they were out of sight and range of their hearing.

He watched the straight lines of Shura's spine and her deceptively loose muscles and waited for the attack.

"I know how stubborn Rin can be, so I know nothing I say is going to change his mind."

That sharp glare was turned back on him, "but you're also not fooling anyone."

"Fooling?" Mephisto said, a slow blink of his eyes and widening of a smile on his face meeting the livid scowl Shura's glare became.

"You think I can't see what's going on?" Shura said, a hiss on her tongue as her hands clenched into fists, "sinking your claws into him, you've been twisting him from the start."

Well, Mephisto hid the smirk that wanted to come out, Shura wasn't wrong, both about where his claws had been sunk and how he'd twisted Rin. Two hundred years of planning had gone into Rin's creation and the plots he'd woven around him that had brought them to this point. That somewhere along the line new twists he hadn't expected cropped up didn't change the path Rin walked.

Having Rin twisted around him in multiple senses of the word only added dimension to his plans. But he didn't need Shura connecting that particular set of dots and she'd closed the distance more than any other had yet to do.

"You are the second person who has accused either myself or Amaimon of corrupting Rin these past days, Miss Kirigakure," he said, cocking his head to stare her down, "and as I told Angel in so many words, it would be very difficult to keep Rin somewhere he doesn't want to be."

Shura opened her mouth, he cut her off, "and Rin does not want to be apart from Amaimon, which, after what he's gone through, I believe is a small thing to allow him, don't you?"

"We're not talking about Amaimon, we're talking about you, Mephisto," Shura snapped out, "you've got him surrounded by demons and cut off from his friends."

He shook his head, hiding the cackle that wanted to come out, "a false accusation yet again, I've only just had to clear my home of those same friends after they overwhelmed Rin with their careless actions, and he would have at least one human if that brother of his would stay for longer than it took to finish breakfast before running again."

The reminder about Yukio sent a flinch through Shura that he nearly purred to see.

"As for speaking about Amaimon and not myself, well," Mephisto shrugged instead, "unless you'd like someone _else_ to keep an eye on the Earth King of Gehenna while he's staying in Assiah, he's hardly trapped here, and where he goes, Rin goes, and vice versa, so Rin is here, too."

No matter how upset with him Amaimon was, he couldn't escape, and neither could Rin.

"So then you won't mind if I stop by more often," Shura said, a low threat to her voice that made Mephisto want to shiver.

"Why, Miss Kirigakure, are you inviting yourself into my home?" The opportunity she'd presented was too good to pass up.

"Yeah, I am," she said in a refusal to be cowed by his insinuations.

"If Rin has no issues, I suppose my doors are always open for you, then," he said in turn.

The thought occurred to him that, while Shura provided him endless entertainment in getting to chip at her guard, he would, once again, be forced to hide behind closed doors to be with Rin.

And Shura wouldn't be blinded by a desire to escape Rin's presence as Yukio was, would, in fact, be keeping a much closer eye on their interactions.

Suddenly the entertainment value of having Shura around soured, not outweighing the cons of watching his every interaction with Rin in his own home even more carefully than before.

It was the party all over again. Where Amaimon was free to stay at Rin's side, both of them wrapped in each other while he played the removed bystander.

"Were there any other concerns you had for me, Miss Kirigakure?" He would still have the nights, which was more than he'd had while Rin lived in the dorm. The irritation came more from having his territory invaded than any real struggle in maintaining the lie he'd built.

"No, I'm done here," Shura said, though her tone suggested that she was far from through with her interrogation, only holding it off for another day when she had gathered her ammunition.

Fine, he would show her how history repeated itself with any being that challenged him.

"Why don't I walk you out, Miss Kirigakure."

She stalked away before he could finish, "I can find my own way out, thanks."

"Goodnight, then," he said to her back, folding his arms across his chest until her steps faded and the front door slammed shut.

Then he vanished to the kitchen and found Amaimon and Rin talking.

"How did it happen," the inflectionless question from Amaimon had Rin slumping down in his seat, though he'd jerked his head up at Mephisto's entrance.

Hesitation and Rin biting at his lips when he met his gaze made Mephisto draw up short, standing in the entryway to consider the scene he'd arrived at.

A topic Rin didn't want him overhearing, then. Mephisto had a suspicion that he knew what it covered.

Would Rin deflect it? How much would he keep back to prevent Mephisto's perceived discomfort from the one aspect of himself he knew Mephisto didn't understand?

The aspect Rin and Amaimon now shared.

His deliberation didn't last long. Rin tugged his lips up in an attempted smile for him before leaning back to keep them both in his view.

"It was after Lightni- after he came in and stopped Feris from killing me."

Possibly the one good deed Lewin had performed that night. Mephisto would have thanked him as he ripped his heart out.

"He, Feris, started talking about you guys, about love," Rin said to the now glowering expression Amaimon wore at his words. Mephisto kept his face clear, already knowing the events Rin described.

And he'd been right about the topic, about what Rin hesitated to talk about in his presence.

"He hated you guys, the demon kings, more than the others did, though I don't think they did at all, it was just him." Rin bit at his cheek as he recalled the night and Mephisto could see his efforts to remove himself from the experience, to view it as a bystander and not a participant, a victim.

"But he liked-" a sharp breath from Rin, his pupils flicking beneath shuttered lids, "he thought I was like him, or something, I think that's why he-"

Amaimon growled, low and dangerous, jerking Rin out of his memories, "you're _nothing_ like that worm."

Precisely, Mephisto added in his head. There were many bastard offspring of demons and humans, even nephilim of the kings.

None were like Rin, could come close to being in the same realm of worth that he held.

"I don't care what they thought about me," Rin said as his voice dropped to a rasp and his gaze sharpened, eyes bright in his face, "but they thought they had the right to talk about us like they-"

A harsh inhale came through Rin's nose as he cut himself off again, his remembered fury brought back to the forefront.

"They didn't know a _thing_ about us," Rin hissed, scraping claws on the counter to clench into his palm and blue eyes vivid as his gaze bore into Mephisto's.

"And I'm _not_ _sorry_."

Not sorry?

Mephisto's spine straightened under Rin's utter focus, seeing Amaimon do the same when that intensity was turned on him.

Not an ounce of regret had stared back at him, not for the nephilim he'd incinerated-

-and not for the human he'd devoured.

A shiver went through Mephisto's frame, he again saw the same from Amaimon.

The demon in Rin and his humanity were in perfect union over his actions that night.

It seemed it hadn't been guilt or shame Rin felt.

"So," Rin said in a sharp breath, calming himself and letting the intensity fade from his body until Mephisto didn't feel the stifling aura anymore, "I got angry, then he tried to cover you guys up and, you know, you showed up."

Such a simple way to explain what he'd become and how he'd reached that point.

Mephisto walked to Rin to cover the hand still squeezed into a tight fist on the counter with his.

Rin startled at the touch, blinking in a flutter of lashes until he realized how tensed he'd been and forced his hand to relax.

"Good, Rin," Mephisto said to both the automatic reaction and the strength he'd shown, smoothing a thumb over Rin's knuckles. The dichotomy in Rin, the way he could display absolute trust alongside a solid core of self, Mephisto knew several of his plans that would be hindered by both characteristics.

Something to consider later.

His words were met by a quiet look from beneath white bangs before Rin dropped his head to take another shuddering breath.

"Thanks, Mephisto."

Warmth from Rin's hand coming to cover his in turn shook Mephisto from his contemplation.

A last squeeze to the hand in his and Mephisto pulled away while Amaimon moved in to comfort Rin next, though not before Mephisto backed off a few steps.

Amaimon's bout of childish behavior was quickly becoming tiresome. He'd have to address it before it began causing more trouble than he needed.

Mephisto wouldn't tolerate it for much longer, but for now he had to do damage control.

He met Amaimon's eyes from where the foolish demon stared at him, sat on the counter, chin propped on Rin's head and arms wound around his shoulders.

Gold glinted in the kitchen lights as Amaimon ducked his chin to hide his nose in the white strands of hair he'd pressed to.

So, he knew his reckoning was coming, Mephisto narrowed his eyes, and yet Amaimon still wouldn't turn from his path.

Very well.

"Rin, not to sound as if I'm giving you a bedtime, but you may want to try sleeping sooner than later," he said to move things along and wondering if Rin would heed his advice now.

"Heh, I'd never say no to more sleep," Rin said in an attempt at keeping the mood light, a wry laugh accentuating his words as he uncurled from Amaimon's hold and took Kuro into his arms to leave.

They made it from the kitchen, Rin's weariness showing in the fact that he hadn't even tried to put away the dishes. Mephisto watched Rin lead the way from where he walked at Amaimon's side, their physical closeness a facade over the space Amaimon had put between them.

In hindsight, though Amaimon's feelings had no bearing on his decisions, it may have been wiser to have held his initial reaction to his confession back. Amaimon would fall in line regardless of his feelings with the culmination of Mephisto's gambit with Shiemi but in the case of their interactions involving Rin, it could become inconvenient.

He'd seen how large an effect a simple thing like the kiss he'd laid on Amaimon's head during the night of Rin's rescue had caused. Mephisto had a suspicion it would take more than a kiss to get Amaimon to close the space between them again.

With Rin filling that space in the bed, Mephisto knew their cold war could go on for an eternity, but only as long as he remained there.

Without Rin, Amaimon would have fled already.

"Goodnight, guys," Rin mumbled, already closing his eyes and nuzzling further into Mephisto's chest. Even then, Rin stayed away from the patches of degradation on his body as if his touch would be more painful than the lay of his robe and bedding over them.

That consideration, though unnecessary, deserved a reward. Mephisto drew his claws against Rin's hair until he faded into sleep.

His hand brushed Amaimon's on the way back to his side where it had been placed on Rin's hip.

And Amaimon _moved his hand away_.

Mephisto nearly snarled out loud, culling the premature growls trying to vibrate through his chest before they became audible.

What would Amaimon do when Rin inevitably initiated something between the three of them, he almost let the question slip, feeling his pupils sliver in his eyes before he contained the glare and settled.

But his thoughts still ran on.

Was Amaimon so human now that his pride wouldn't even allow Mephisto's touch on his body? They were both very aware of the pleasure Rin took from seeing them intertwined, would Amaimon deny Rin that?

Or, Mephisto stilled further, features like stone, would Rin's consideration extend to Amaimon such that he would forego his own pleasure for Amaimon's sake and deny _Mephisto_?

What-ifs he didn't have an answer to at this point.

He shook the useless concerns off.

Sleep. An hour to enjoy the respite before leaving Rin and Amaimon to wrap up more loose ends. It was more difficult than it had any right to be.

Clearly he'd been too responsible lately, Mephisto realized with an internal snort of amusement. He would indulge in a game or series binge, there were several he'd been looking forward to starting. All work and no play, as the saying went.

The thoughts followed him down until he drifted away to the sounds of their mingling breaths and scents filling his senses.

And snapped awake barely half an hour later as a wash of heat that threatened flames blew his hair back from his face and sent him vanishing from the source of it to the edge of the bed.

A moment later and the heat cut off. Mephisto watched Rin scramble from the sheets, crawling until he found his feet, a wild look in his eyes and whimpers vanishing with him into the bathroom.

Gagging, retching, gasping sounds made it to his ears.

Mephisto could only focus on Amaimon, finding him, in turn, fixated on the open door and Rin. He could have been one of his stone gargoyles guarding a home for all that he moved, hunched in a bow with his knees tucked under his chin.

Rin's pained breaths steadied and evened out, leaving the room quiet again.

Tension tightening through Amaimon's spine said that he'd finally registered the unwavering attention and he coiled his tail under his legs as if to hide it from Mephisto's gaze.

Still hiding from him, as if he could prolong the inevitable with avoidance.

As if he could keep avoiding Mephisto.

But the quiet endured, neither willing to break it until Rin stood under the frame of the door and broke it for them.

"Sorry."

Something sounded off about Rin's apology, how he stood, a dark silhouette in a dark room except for the glow of his slit-pupiled eyes.

Mephisto didn't think whatever had woken Rin was finished with him and Amaimon's continued silence was telling.

Rin hadn't moved yet, either.

"Rin, let me put you under for the rest of the night, just until you can reach a normalized sleep schedule of sorts," Mephisto said, suddenly wary of the way Rin stared at him from the bathroom door.

Nothing. That blue gaze burned.

"What happened to them, to Micah and Ariette," Rin asked, flat expression leveled at Mephisto, exhausted, but he could see he wouldn't be satisfied until he had an answer.

"We killed them, Rin, they can't hurt you anymore," he said, slowly, then frowned when Rin closed his eyes as if confirming something to himself.

"No, I don't think you guys did," Rin murmured and Mephisto had to fight to keep from showing a reaction. He knew. Somehow, Rin knew.

Amaimon was a bent figure next to him, but Mephisto could see the judgment in the corner of his eye when he tilted his head to peer at him over his shoulder.

As if he were above reproach, as if, because he'd given Rin what he wanted, Amaimon could pretend at being less of a monster.

_Enough_.

He'd had enough of Amaimon's judgement, of the way he _rebelled_.

If Rin was so concerned with the truth, if Amaimon thought his lies made him lesser, then he would _deliver_ to their expectations.

"Fine, Rin, have it your way."

Acid dripped from his words, vitriol built in his gut. His head pounded in time with the throbbing pain in his degrading body.

Rin wanted to know where his tormentors were? He'd show him.

"Eins, zwei, _drei_."

He snapped his fingers, pinning Rin with an immobilizing stare as he rose from the bed and appeared to stand across from him- in opposition to Rin.

"Kuchen kuckucksuhr."

The gong of the cuckoo clock summon rang in the enclosed room, wiping the look from Amaimon's face and sending Rin startling back.

Void parted and shapes formed from the clock, becoming clearer under Mephisto's command until two groaning figures solidified.

A whimper escaped Rin, Amaimon jolted out of the bed to his side even as the woman began to struggle against his hold on her despite the shattered ribs he hadn't allowed to heal.

"Ariette, stop," the gurgled command came from the other worm, calmer after the shock of waking, though Mephisto could hear the rapid pulse in his veins and see the pain in his broken body.

_Good_.

Mephisto waved a hand and cut off their aggravating sounds, constricting them to send their faces spasming in agony when the shards of their bones rubbed together.

"Here, Rin, your tormentors," Mephisto said, voice a growl with the bared truth that he lay at Rin's feet.

Why wait for the past to set Rin apart from him? Why delay the inevitable?

Rin wanted to know what the nephilims' fates were going to be? Mephisto would show him, would pull the gauze of his kindness and Rin's illusions about his true nature away until he saw Mephisto for what he was.

"Meph-"

His claws slashed through the air, mirroring the red lines drawn across the delicate skin of the nephilim.

When the arterial blood followed a moment later, some of it splashed, red scattering hits to Rin's face and cutting the words from his mouth.

Rin flinched, but didn't make any other movements, staring with solemn eyes at the corpses of his torturers bleeding out at his feet until the light left their own.

Then he turned that gaze to Mephisto's.

"I wish you wouldn't have done that, Mephisto."

"Then what would you have had me do, Rin?" The question came with sudden ferocity, startling him and making Rin jerk his head up while Amaimon's eyes widened.

"I don't know, Mephisto, I didn't think about it," Rin said, slowly, carefully, as if speaking to a beast.

He was bestial, at his core a monster.

"Well I have had to think about these things, Rin, and several others, too," the waspish answer snapped out of him making a frown grow on Rin's face.

"I know, Mephisto," was his only response, but it wasn't good enough. He didn't know what good enough _entailed_.

"Thank you."

Something broke inside his mind and his chest at Rin's soft gratitude.

Mephisto changed.

Amaimon saw it and moved to take Rin, to protect him- to _run_ with him.

Run from Samael.

He lifted his hand and flung Amaimon into the wall, pressing there until he heard cracking ribs and the desperate snarls cut off.

The Earth King wouldn't be interfering this time.

"Let him go, Mephisto."

He dared! A pawn, his _precious_ pawn, dared to tell him what he should do.

A liquid gurgle came from Amaimon's chest, blood ran from the corners of his gaping mouth. The sight cleaved in his own chest, a wrenching split between the two halves of him, one that wanted to see Amaimon ground down into a red pulp, and the other…

"Mephisto, _please_."

His future was determined, the story would end in tragedy for Father's spawn no matter the route he took to get there.

And those blue eyes staring at him from the now intimately familiar features could do nothing in the face of that inevitability.

Something dark, the storm that had been building, encroaching on all his careful masks, was already there.

Everything washed away.

"My name is Samael," he said, serpentine hiss coming from between his bristling fangs.

Amaimon began convulsing against the wall, body fighting the suffocation of his drowning lungs filling with blood. He'd been forced to quiet Amaimon in the same way the night of the kidnapping because he'd flown into such a panic at its discovery.

He only ever panicked liked that for one being and it wasn't Samael.

"Mephisto, stop!" Blue eyes pled with him, anger, tears, _love_.

_Fear_, for the dying concept he held and for him, of him, even.

The body stopped convulsing, green hair hanging limp, head lolling forward to let viscous blood drip in a slow line to the floor from his mouth.

"Mephisto!" Flame flickered to life, driven to protect the still body.

_Enough_.

"Say. My. Name, little Satan spawn, say it!"

His fury roared out around fully extended fangs, vision narrowing to the creature that defied him until he released the body from the wall and brought that fury down on the pitiful power attempting to go to it.

Fire went out.

He didn't need to use physical force.

He did anyway.

Samael backhanded Rin through the bed, wooden splinters burning with the black power he sent after Rin to ricochet him into the tiled floor of the bathroom.

The pained cry from Rin didn't have a chance to form past its infancy, lost in the devastating impact that shattered the glass mirror to rain down in a skittering echo.

A yowl from behind him, Samael flicked his wrist and broke Kuro against the wall until the pitiful familiar fell limp and quiet.

Nothing would interfere with Rin's reckoning.

"Come out, Rin, show me how you've _grown_," Samael hissed, releasing the words from Shiro to stab into Rin, to pierce him, to wound him, like daggers thrown with unerring precision.

Amaimon called him cruel? They had no idea the depths of his cruelty.

Blue fire lit the bathroom, glowing from the cracked door. Finally, Rin would face him, would attack and be shown how worthless his efforts were to the inevitability of fate.

How worthless it was to try changing Samael.

Growls preceded Rin as he heeded Samael's call. The sounds of his flames hid his steps over the crumbled floor as he placed his hand on the doorframe to blacken it in the shape of his palm.

Billowing heat from Rin whipped his hair above his head, his irises were warped in dangerous flames.

Tears made glowing tracks down his cheeks.

"Why are you doing this?" Rin shouted, voice choked on his frustration, his turmoil, as a rush of flames flew towards Samael.

_Let Rin burn him, let_-

Rin's fire passed harmlessly over his body, a warmth enveloping him like being held in his arms, wrapped in his embrace.

Why?

Why didn't he _attack_?

Weak!

Human weakness. Of course Rin couldn't raise a hand against him, would never be able to strike back at Samael now that he had corrupted him so much.

Now that Rin _lov_-

_STOP_!

Samael roared, launching towards Rin through the blue shroud that parted in his wake, never once feeling the fire turn on him, hurt him, burn him as Rin had done after his nightmare.

A foolish mistake Samael would make Rin regret.

He warped to halt the sloppy dodge as Rin tried to run instead of fight, pulling him back to his side with an iron grip.

Still, Rin wouldn't let his flames switch from the soft heat caressing his damaged vessel to the searing fires that could wipe him from existence.

The sharp cry cut off when he turned to send Rin through the window of the bedroom into the darkness beyond it, Samael following close behind, a snarl on his lips.

Frigid winds whipped the snow coming down against his body, the icy sting hardly registering on his rotted flesh as he landed over Rin's struggling form.

"Guh-ugh!" Rin thrashed beneath him, his wild movements spilling his own blood as broken tiles from where he'd landed on the balcony sliced his skin to ribbons.

Flames beat back the bitter chill, leaving them surrounded in a bubble of self-made summer

_Why_.

"Why won't you fight back?" Samael hissed the question through extended fangs, gripping Rin's hair between black claws until strands tore from his head and another cry from his mouth.

Rin hadn't stopped crying, wrenching sobs now shaking through his chest to reverberate in Samael's ears and in his body where they touched.

Those tears meant _nothing_. Samael had witnessed enough tears to fill an ocean from both humans and demons in his endless existence.

Why should Rin's be any _different_?

"Stop it," Samael ordered, raising Rin up to smash his head back on the shattered tiles, "stop crying, you miserable creature!"

Red bloomed under Rin to stain his snow white hair as he groaned, dazed from the healing fractures in his skull.

A sticky wetness coated Samael's fingers and the scent of Rin's blood sent him tearing them away from his hold like Rin had set his flames on him after all.

Nothing, just Rin looking up at him with a face tightened in anguish and blue eyes filled with wretched betrayal.

He lay limp beneath Samael, even his instinctive struggles ceased.

Samael didn't- he didn't _understand_!

"Why don't you attack?"

His demand garnered desperate shakes of Rin's head and whimpers as if the question brought him more pain than Samael's vicious attacks had.

"Are you so weak, so human, that you'll die without even trying?"

A moan of pure despair pressed at Samael like the howling winds buffeting his hair until it left stinging welts on his heated face.

Movement then, and Samael startled when a calloused hand encircled his wrist in a loose grip.

Finally, Rin would attack. Finally, he would show Samael.

Show him that the inevitable had come to pass and their time had ended now that he'd seen the ugly truth, the ugliness in Samael.

"I-" the weak words made it past Rin's lips, almost lost in the tempest around them.

"I won't, Mephisto."

_What_?

Rin smiled.

His mouth moved, struggling to speak.

"I won't, Meph-"

"_Huh-ack._"

Samael shoved his hand further into Rin's chest, a creeping numbness spreading from his head to his limbs until all he could feel was the stuttered beats of Rin's heart where it brushed his fingers with every pulse.

The pool of vivid warmth stained the robe he kneeled on until it surrounded them completely.

Blue fire flickered, dimming in time with the beat of Rin's heart.

Each passing moment let the cold seep further and further into his bones.

Snow began to settle like a frozen cloak on his shuddering frame. The darkness of the night became a heavy weight.

Rin's flames gave a last flicker and died.

His hand slipped from Samael's wrist.

No.

_No_!

"No, wake up, damn you!"

He wouldn't allow Rin to escape with unconsciousness, not when he'd been the source of it all, of everything. Not when he'd been the one to throw Samael's plans, his life, into such utter chaos.

Samael wrenched his hand from Rin's chest, mouth twisted in the welling emotion he didn't understand- he didn't understand!

"We're not finished!" He howled, slamming to the ground over Rin on his forearms, his bangs hanging to brush to Rin's head against his pale cheeks as the dormant earth heaved with the force of his power.

Rin would mend, would wake up with those warped eyes and hatred on his face and-

-And _prove_ Samael right, that he hadn't been wrong, as Amaimon had said.

A rictus snarl split his mouth around bared fangs as he panted in the frozen air. White puffs of breath left to caress Rin and brought the scent of his cooling blood and pain to Samael in an overwhelming crush that beat at his senses.

_We're not finished here._

_We're not!_

Rin healed by inches. Every vein that reconnected, every layer of flesh that repaired itself was done under Samael's intense scrutiny, all so that he would see the exact moment Rin would come back to him.

Then, they could be finished.

Lips parted around a thin moan as Rin's eyelids fluttered in rising consciousness.

His pupils, slit, demonic, _not_ warped into flames- why weren't they warped? Focused up at Samael, glazed in pain still.

That blue gaze steadied, cleared, slid from his face down.

"What?" Samael snapped, vicious snarl not having any effect on Rin at all, ignored in favor of something else, and he wouldn't have it!

"What are you _looking_ at?"

A slow blink, as if Rin were mesmerized, his mouth parting to speak hushed words, barely heard over the howling storm.

He heard them anyway.

"Your heart's out."

Samael shook, wrenching his gaze down at the rasping words from Rin.

"It's beautiful."

His heart, he hadn't seen it in…

It floated between them.

A wet, choked whine dragged from his lips.

"I don't understand," Samael said, pleading to Rin.

As if Rin could help him when he'd been the source, ground zero for this virus corrupting his code.

Rin didn't answer, but a shifting against his shaking arm brought him away from searching Rin's expression for answers.

A warm hand cupped his frozen cheek, almost burning as it melted the frost from his skin.

Another whine pulled long and agonized from his aching lungs. The corners of his eyes prickled and itched with a sensation he couldn't place.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mephisto," Rin whispered, stroking a clawed thumb over his face, spreading ice melt and another, warmer, wetness to his thawing skin.

"I won't leave you, Mephisto, I promise," he continued, as implacable as the steady march of time.

Samael shook his head, _impossible_-

"-Impossible, you _will_, you have no choice, you can't change this."

Weak, feeble, like a child in the face of Rin's indomitable will.

A second hand came to rest at the back of Samael's head, gently pressing him down until his face tucked to the crook of Rin's neck.

He breathed, a harsh inhale to bring the otherworldly fire scent that uniquely made up Rin, filling his senses so he couldn't smell anything else.

Their claims on each other's souls glowed phosphorescent in his mind.

"I won't, Mephisto," Rin said, a murmur into his ear, lips grazing against it before setting as a soft kiss, holding there as if Rin had an eternity to wait beneath Samael.

Waiting for his answer- his verdict.

His decision.

Was this…?

An arm like a firebrand wrapped around his shoulders in an undemanding embrace that he could break at any time, free to flee if he didn't want it, if it ever stifled him- a tether with no boundaries or expectations.

No strings except the ones he himself attached.

He was free, with Rin, he was _free_.

Revelation.

It echoed like a single bell toll throughout every timeline, every era, every version of his concept across the entirety of time and the vastness of space.

Samael jerked from Rin's arms, gasping a ragged breath, sucking in the winter air like coming up from a black lake and he'd been drowning for years.

His chest heaved, hands limp at his sides as he stared down at Rin with new eyes, cleared of every lie he'd ever told himself.

A soft smile met him, Rin raised on his elbows, still waiting, giving him the space he needed while being there when he didn't anymore.

Free.

"Amaimon was right," he whispered, tremulous and wide eyed.

Rin's smile stretched further, cocking his head to his shoulder. Snow no longer stung at their bodies, coming in large tufts to melt where they landed on Rin and sending trickles of water to wash the blood from his chest.

The storm had calmed.

"I was wrong," Samael said, tracking the red as it pooled by Rin's stomach where it creased as he lifted himself from the ground.

"What now?" He whimpered, lost, but Rin didn't mock him, didn't call attention to his weakness, didn't seem to think it was weakness at all.

"Now we go back inside and find another guest room, Mephisto, one that doesn't have a hole in the wall," Rin said, a laugh on his tongue that made Samael's heart clench behind his ribs.

"Oh," Samael said while Rin tugged him back into a hug, blue flames once again flickering into being around them to burn the blood and debris from their bodies until they were clean.

Samael brought his own arms up to wind around Rin's back, feeling that unrushed heartbeat under his palms, the one he'd nearly stopped.

"I'm sorry, Rin," he said, eyes staring at the heavy flakes of drifting snow as they built over the ground Rin's flames had bared.

"Apology accepted, Mephisto," Rin responded and squeezed him in a tighter hold, running a hand to his spine, still doing his best to avoid the degradation.

Then he rose, bringing Samael with him and smiling, "you're going to have to bring us in, or I'll have to keep melting this snow, I guess."

Already bouncing back from the horrors Samael had visited on him that night. Rin was a marvel. He had to stop from staring in awe like some primitive human to a natural phenomena.

Samael snapped his fingers, depositing them in the room, which brought the other results of his actions to the forefront.

Kuro's body, recovered, though he stayed unconscious where he'd landed, called Rin to his side.

And Amaimon, chest still concave after Samael's attack, though it, too, healed. At least he hadn't killed Amaimon's vessel in his fury.

Rin came to him, Kuro cradled in his arms, to stare at Amaimon, silent.

There wasn't anything to do, Samael knew, but bring them to another room and deal with Amaimon's wakening when it happened.

Another snap and the sounds of the outside world disappeared, muffled once more by unbroken walls.

He gestured and cleared the dried blood from Amaimon's skin before placing him in the bed, seeing Rin do the same for Kuro at the foot.

A rib popped back into place over Amaimon's heart, the sharp crack startling Samael from his empty contemplation to step back from the motionless form.

The sudden movement from him garnered an analytic sweep of Rin's gaze over him, frown tugging at his lips.

"I should wait over here, away from him, he will want the space from me, I think," Samael said in explanation to the unspoken question.

Rin crossed his arms, though, besides a slight narrowing of his eyes, he didn't offer any more judgment and instead countered with, "maybe, or maybe he'll want you next to him when he wakes up."

Did Rin really believe, after the hypocrisy he'd shown, after the way Amaimon had shut down and cut himself from Samael, that Amaimon would be pleased to see him anywhere in his vicinity?

But Rin once again wouldn't back down and Samael realized he didn't know how Amaimon might react at all, given what had caused the reactions in the first place.

He'd entered a whole new territory with waters he couldn't begin to guess at navigating yet.

"I suppose if he reacts violently, I will have deserved it," Samael conceded, bowing his head and moving to the bedside, summoning a chair to sit in while he waited. He may have been unsure about some things, but trying to sleep next to Amaimon when he woke from his healing would end in more blood, of that he was sure.

A soft growl jerked Samael's head back up, seeing a definite glare on Rin's face.

"Stop," he hissed, tail lashing as he stalked towards the bed and stood at the opposite side, though he didn't join Amaimon and exhaustion had begun to tinge his words again, "I'm tired of you guys talking about who deserves what, nobody deserves anything, it's just what we've got, and we've got each other."

"Rin," Samael said, then huffed a laugh out, shaking his head and nodding at the bed, "sleep, you've waged too many battles these past nights and it's too soon for another."

Not that Rin didn't look willing to keep at it, his dogged determination unfailing. Amaimon's head dropping to the side to face Rin, tangled hair falling across his eyes, decided it for Rin.

"Hah, okay, Mephisto," Rin sighed and dragged his claws through his wind-swept hair, quirking an amused smile at him before complying, "you win this one."

Blue eyes remained opened to bare slits as Rin curled around Amaimon, watching the struggling breaths in the almost healed chest, his own body rising and falling in time with it until he drifted off to the sounds of Amaimon's evening heartbeat.

Samael didn't sleep.

He looked around the room as if, because he'd had his revelation, the light should fall differently or objects should hold more worth than they had before because suddenly _Rin_ held more worth than before.

Or if he now held things as if they held worth at all.

But the room was still a room to him, and something settled in his chest, satisfied that, even though he'd changed so fundamentally, he could still recognize himself and his thoughts.

His pawns were still his pawns, his things were still just toys to be discarded at will.

Only Rin and- Samael flicked a quick glance at Amaimon as another burst of instability hit him, like he was standing on a precarious ledge with a human's balance.

Amaimon woke before he could process what emotion had just sunk claws into his heart.

Nothing. A few moments passed where Amaimon refused to open his eyes and Samael allowed him his indecision.

Gold flashed when Amaimon let his eyelids slide open, staring at the ceiling without a sound.

Those eyes vanished from Samael's view as Amaimon tilted his head to where Rin nuzzled into his chest, his hand coming up a moment later to rest on Rin's hair brushing his jaw.

The studied silence between them over Rin's sleeping form brought Samael back to the night they'd rescued him. He hadn't broken the silence then, had let it exist between them as it always had before.

Before Rin they'd had many unchanging nights of silence.

Samael thought it might be time to break that silence with Amaimon, if he was willing. He breathed in, the sound loud in the room and working to let Amaimon know he was about to speak. That it also let him scent them out just made it easier for Samael to do.

"What did it feel like, when you realized you loved him."

Amaimon stilled further, the thumb he'd begun brushing through Rin's hair stopping. His lips pressed together and Samael knew he would be chewing the inside of his mouth to ruin in debate.

But he did speak, eventually, voice soft, but unyielding.

"It felt like certainty, in the same way I know I'm the King of Earth and my name."

His gold eyes studied Samael when he turned to face him again. They didn't look so far away anymore, so cut off.

He had misinterpreted Amaimon after-all, from his own pride.

"Ah, not vague at all, I see," Samael said in admittance, not letting his lips pull into the wry smile they wanted to because he could see the peace between them was still fragile.

That consideration paid off, another wall Amaimon had put up slipped away, his eyes softening and arm tightening around Rin.

"No, there's nothing vague about it," he said at last, then waited, the ball back in Samael's corner to bridge the final distance. Or not.

Looking at Amaimon now, Samael knew what he wanted.

"I understand," Samael murmured the simple words, wondering if Amaimon had also felt the ledge they danced along, and if he would join Samael in leaping from it.

A smile, the same that he chased off Amaimon the last time they'd had this conversation, appeared back on his face, clouds parting to strip the final veils from him and the distance closing.

"For the King of Time, you really took yours, Samael." The smile turned teasing.

Finally, Samael let his own wry smile form, cocking his head to prop it on his fist and sighed, "So it seems, you've been ahead of me from the beginning."

And, the words he had said many times in the past but only ever meant twice now, came to him.

"I'm sorry, Amaimon."

It drifted across the space, an olive branch extended to reach the hand Amaimon had outheld to him in that hallway.

Was that a slight pinking on Amaimon's cheeks?

At the questioning hum from Samael, it darkened and caused him to clutch at Rin like a safety net.

"It's strange to hear you say it and mean it," Amaimon grumbled as Samael felt a gleeful smile form at the confession. Amaimon never had been any good at lying, and this was an honest answer.

"Oh? This is a night for strange things," he teased further, "I didn't know it was possible for you to blush, how human of us."

"Tch, humans," Amaimon said and scowled, snapping a glare his way, "are you coming or not?"

Apparently, he was finished with that line of conversation. Samael almost continued with it to see how far he could push that fading blush.

Perhaps later, when Rin was awake to appreciate it, as he surely would, Samael thought and allowed Amaimon his dignity.

Slipping into bed alongside Rin, Samael felt the remaining tension drain from his limbs, slotting back into place like a completed puzzle of three pieces. The mumbled sleep sounds from Rin drew him to press his nose to his neck. That it also put him place to brush against Amaimon's arm only settled Samael further.

An interrupted noise from Amaimon brought his head back up, seeing that something else needed to be said.

Amaimon worried at his lip with a fang, though he managed not to draw blood as he stared at nothing before speaking.

"He told me he would stop you, if you ever crossed a line with him," Amaimon said, not meeting his gaze.

Rin had-

Now that he had cleared the haze of desperation from his mind, Samael could see it like he'd plotted it out himself. The way he would have retaliated to any perceived threat, the way he would have taken any movement against him by Rin.

How very wrong things could have gone.

Samael dropped his head, letting his bangs shadow his face, "in a way he did- stop me, that is, I would have killed the both of you tonight if he'd attacked."

His admission earned him an acknowledging nod from Amaimon, confirming his own theory, no doubt.

But it had been enough, it seemed. Amaimon lay back down into the bed, closing his eyes and murmuring one last thought.

"You're going to be working against everyone, including yourself, to keep him alive, Samael."

Truer words, Samael gave his own nod, knowing the morning would hold more challenges, including the forces of Gehenna and Father.

Fangs peeked from his lips in a wide smile.

Samael breathed in deeply to bask in the mingled scents of Rin and Amaimon.

He welcomed the challenge.

* * *

Notes:

That's a wrap, babes.

Hope those confessions were realistic bc now I'm gonna have to do them both allllll over again in totally different ways in Incandescence lmao

And I hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading the first fic I've ever actually completed :D


	7. Tell Me Truths, Speak No Lies

Chapter Summary: This time Rin takes Amaimon to the wedding, determined to go because he's not gonna let his entire life fall apart, even if it's hard. Now he just has to deal with the consequences of bringing Amaimon, Demon King of Earth and Seventh in Gehenna under Satan to an exorcist's wedding- and, more importantly, bringing Ambrosia.

A/N:

FML

I HAD TO SPLIT THE EPILOGUE IN TWO.

No one should ever trust me, all you get is lies and betrayal T.T

So uhhhhhh enjoy the soft epilogue, part one?

Song of the Chapter: I'm Not Calling You a Liar by Florence and the Machine

* * *

Rin opened his eyes to a bright room and inhaled deeply in preparation.

Good, he couldn't sense Kuro nearby.

A moment later and he flipped his body around to pounce, landing with a whump on Amaimon's middle to startle a gasped breath and wide eyes staring up at him from an astonished face.

He didn't give Amaimon a chance to work out what was happening, attacking his throat with sharp fangs and grinning when he felt the pulse beneath his tongue jump.

When the bed shifted besides him, Rin reached out without looking to grab the back of Mephisto's neck, rising from Amaimon to draw him into a kiss that sent his own pulse racing as he fought through the memories.

So the whine crawling up his throat died there as Rin forced it away, leaving the extended fangs to sooth the defensive part of his instincts as he let new ones take over in their place.

Today was a new day and Rin wouldn't be letting anything stop him from showing his two demons _exactly_ how happy he was.

With that determination in mind, Rin ground down on the hips he'd trapped between his thighs, rubbing his chest to Mephisto's and smiling when they reciprocated his actions.

"Ha- Rin," Mephisto broke away to pant, though his clawed fingers didn't stop questing over Rin's sides, "please let us know if it's too much so I don't lose another room, hmm?"

That earned Mephisto a pinch and a miffed glared from Rin, though it didn't last long after Amaimon gripped at his hips to bring him down harder.

His tail, freed from the sheets, practically wagged until he directed it with half a mind to tangle with Mephisto's.

The other half of his mind was focused on the slick heat building with every slide of his length to Amaimon's and the claws scraping just shy of breaking skin over his back from Mephisto.

Kicking from Amaimon brought Rin's hazy attention to the sheets twisting at his feet as he got more frustrated with the constraints on his movement.

Amaimon growled, taking his hand away to snap the covers off, though they reappeared flung to the floor.

"Must you, Amaimon," Mephisto grumbled at Rin's throat.

Rin yelped as Amaimon got fed up with the way things progressed, shoving up to push Rin onto Mephisto's lap and causing the two of them to groan at the sudden force pressing their bodies together.

He didn't have time to complain, or even want to, for that matter, as Amaimon dragged a tight fist over the base of his tail, a reedy moan leaving his lips that Mephisto swallowed in an open-mouthed kiss.

Their tongues wound together, mirroring the way their tails moved, muffled sounds caught before they could form while Amaimon nipped at his shoulder.

Eyelids shuttering at the way Amaimon thrust up at his entrance in teasing motions allowed the claims to flare luminous in his mind, a welling light filling his senses with _mine mine mine-_

"Yours, Rin," Mephisto said in a breathless sigh, shuddering under Rin and head tilting back to allow him better access to his throat.

"Yours," Amaimon said at his ear, biting the tip of it to spark jolts of electricity through Rin's nerves and sending him further down onto Mephisto, lost in the pleasure they pressed into his skin.

Then Amaimon had a clawed finger toying at his entrance and Rin groaned, spreading his legs and arching his tail to encourage him as the motion brought his length to Mephisto's stomach.

Pre-cum pearled and smeared where his increasingly desperate movements rubbed it to Mephisto when Amaimon finally began preparing him, stretching his entrance as he searched out that sensitive point.

He found it, Rin keening with the merciless stimulation as his tail convulsed, still trapped around Mephisto's.

His head dropped to Mephisto's neck, the barest trace of his mind keeping away from the degradation but incapable of anything beyond that as Amaimon took his fingers away and replaced them with the head of his length.

"_Mmn_ Amaim-" Rin tried to say, words stuttering as Amaimon pushed in and seated himself fully, a heated weight at his spine adding to the rising pressure coiling inside.

"Mine," Amaimon growled into his ear, drawing a long moan from Rin at the possessiveness that broke into a gasp when he began moving.

Mephisto hadn't stopped grinding against him or twining their tails, the short furs brushing the wrong way with each hard thrust that Rin tried to meet making him shudder at the sensation.

But he wanted to touch every part of him he could reach, so Rin forced himself to remember how to function, lowering his hands to Mephisto's spine so he could grip the base of his tail and knead the skin around it.

The sharp cry his actions elicited slashed a smile across his fangs that he scraped at Mephisto's jaw where it had flung back to expose his throat.

A hand reached over his shoulder to dig into Mephisto's hair and Rin blinked through the sweat beginning to sting at his eyes as Amaimon pulled Mephisto back up for a searing kiss.

Oh god, Rin thought, whimpering with a new haze layering in his mind at the sight of his two demons panting into each other's mouths, their eyes opened to bare slits and their fangs flashing.

Amaimon didn't let him recover any sense of balance, his other hand bruising at Rin's hip and bringing his body to meet the hips slamming to him, filling him until the only thing holding him up was Mephisto.

He had to cling there, claws digging red lines into trembling shoulder blades, as Amaimon adjusted his position to increase the pace, snarling against Mephisto's cheek when he broke their kiss to focus on Rin.

"Please, please- ah-" Rin pled in a stream of words, eyes glazing with the pleasure, mouth gaping- he couldn't- he couldn't-!

A hard thrust right where he needed it and Rin came, crying out and arching his back as Amaimon fucked him through it until he shivered, nerves over-sensitive and whining to be released.

Mephisto sucked a bruise to the pulse beneath his jaw, inhaling in a shuddering breath before pulling back and lifting Rin from Amaimon to lay him on his back.

"I'll be right with you, Rin," he growled where he leaned over him, though Rin barely registered the words, caught in the rough tones of his voice and body gone limp after his climax.

But he definitely saw the way Mephisto fixed eyes dark with intent to where Amaimon watched them, tail lashing behind him and still hard.

"Amaimon," Mephisto said as he rose on his knees, the slight pause making Amaimon cock his head, lips parted around ragged gasps.

Whatever Amaimon expected, and even Rin, it hadn't been for Mephisto to drop his guard.

The pupils in Amaimon's eyes slivered, eclipsed by the gold of his irises as he searched Mephisto for confirmation, his body taut like he wanted to flee for a moment at the unexpected move.

"I think it's time to stop our games, don't you?" The question left Mephisto, soft, but it lit a fire behind Amaimon's eyes.

Walls that had been in place for longer than Rin could comprehend dropped to allow a tentative connection Rin could finally see.

Mephisto repeated himself, a careful selection of words that stopped Rin's heart as he processed the sight in front of him, "I think, as Rin would say, that I owe you an apology, Amaimon."

His pulse picked up again as Amaimon clenched his fangs together, nose flaring and muscles quivering while Mephisto waited for his decision.

A sound broke past Amaimon's lips that would have been a whimper if he'd let it form, bowing forward to stare from under his choppy bangs.

But Mephisto gave him time, enough that he could shake his head, blinking in a rapid flutter of his lashes.

"Samael- you," Amaimon started, claws furrowing into the blankets as he glared, "I don't want to stop playing with you, ever, I never did."

It was Mephisto's turn to blink before a laugh erupted out of him that became a good-natured sigh, "so it seems, once again, I'm the last to catch on, hmm?"

Rin wanted to catch that sigh on his tongue, gaze locked on the way Mephisto looked at Amaimon as if he'd never fully seen him, never taken him in, in his entirety.

Finally, Amaimon decided.

Gold vanished with Amaimon's closed eyes, head dropping back and shoulders sloping to show on the physical plane what was happening between he and Mephisto.

Guards both dropped, Mephisto let a rumble form in his chest, prowling over the bed with intent to trace his tongue to the offered jugular.

"I'm going to make up for a few centuries worth of time now, Amaimon," he murmured to the skin he pressed his lips against.

The low promise had Rin's tail twitching in the sheets while Amaimon brought his hands up and carded black claws through the strands that made up Mephisto's bangs.

Their mouths met in a languid kiss, slit pupils hidden as they lost themselves in the deliberate action.

With every caress laid to each other, Rin watched the claim grow stronger, a living thing that enveloped them and buzzed in the air, seeming to throb in time with the pulse beginning to pound in his ears.

It entranced Rin, hypnotic in the beauty of it, and he could have stared for the rest of his life if the hitched breath from Amaimon didn't pull him back to the physical plane, sound and sight rushing to the forefront.

Because Mephisto had just pushed Amaimon to the mattress, spread palm on his chest as Amaimon allowed himself to fall and arching to keep their lips locked.

A purr made its way from deep within Amaimon when Mephisto mouthed down his neck, placing sharp nips every slow inch he went to leave red lines that he lapped at before moving further.

Soon, he had Amaimon writhing beneath him and Rin couldn't take it anymore, rolling to his knees to crawl to Amaimon's head while Mephisto paused his ministrations to eye him from a heavy gaze.

"I'm so happy," Rin murmured, dropping to nuzzle at Amaimon's cheek where he'd placed his head in his lap, claws lightly scraping over the flushed skin that he chased with his lips.

The smile that crinkled Mephisto's face brought another purr from Rin to see it, feeling a smile of his own stretch against Amaimon.

"Ah!"

Amaimon gasped the cry into his ear as Mephisto kissed the welling blood from the bite he'd sunk into his hip, toes curling in the sheets and tail lashing to the side at the unexpected shock.

He'd started leaking onto his own stomach, hips trying to cant up and get any kind of relief only for Mephisto to ignore his need, continuing the torment and placing butterfly kisses down his inner thighs.

Rin gripped Amaimon's jaw with his hand, tilting it back to expose his neck as Mephisto's deliberate teasing hypnotized him just as thoroughly as their claiming had.

"Bite him again, Mephisto," he growled the order out, voice a guttural command that stuttered the hearts of his two demons in their chests.

He knew, were he to look in a mirror, that his eyes would be twin warped flames.

They'd frozen, bodies quaking like he'd flared up until he growled, once, deep enough to shake their bones and spurring them into immediate action.

Another cry escaped Amaimon's panting mouth, Mephisto's fangs sinking into the soft flesh at his inner thigh and making his length jump, more release trailing from the head as Amaimon was reduced to a quivering mess.

"Now, show him how sorry you are, _Samael_," came the sibilant hiss that dilated the pupils in Mephisto's green irises, almost eclipsing them to a slim ring of color that glowed at the heat his true name called forth.

Red smeared over Mephisto's face, the blood he hadn't cleared with his tongue enhancing his gaunt features and purple bruises caused by the degradation.

The macabre face became a grinning devil's as Mephisto shed away to Samael.

"As you wish, _Rin_," he said around fully extended fangs and a Cheshire smile.

He rose to kneel over Amaimon, tail swaying behind him in the air like a predator about to pounce.

"How will I show you, Amaimon?" Samael said, black velvet words sending shivers through Rin, echoed by Amaimon in his arms as they caught under Samael's spell.

"How will I best display that you are _mine_?"

A flash of movement faster than Rin could see and Samael was at Amaimon's throat, snarling, "I'm going to ride you until you're _begging_ me to stop."

That single promise pulled a whine from Amaimon that Samael stopped in a kiss that was more fang than lip and brought yet more blood to stain both.

Then Samael had a hand on Amaimon's length and pumped it to spread the slick that had gathered there, his other hand reaching to stop the wild coils of Amaimon's slim tail and bring it to his entrance.

"Be a dear and prepare me, Amaimon," Samael said, eyes glittering with delight at how the request affected them.

His smile turned into a gasp when Amaimon obeyed, a toothy grin on his face as he gained control over his tail and impaled Samael on it without any hesitation, breath huffing from his opened mouth and hips moving like he was already inside.

Rin hummed, enjoying the pleasure he could see slackening Samael's features even as he tensed with each forceful thrust of Amaimon's tail.

But Samael only allowed it so far, stilling Amaimon so he could straddle him and pinning him to the bed with a hand on his vulnerable stomach.

Muscles quivered in anticipation beneath his claws, pinpricks of blood forming where Samael didn't bother with being careful as he crushed a kiss to Amaimon.

He didn't know who he wanted to get his mouth on more, seeing the way Amaimon gripped to Samael's shoulders to bring him closer so he could slide their bodies together.

The desire decided itself for him as Samael opened his eyes, gaze flicking to meet his and rising to claim him in a kiss that he moaned into.

Their tongues wound together and Rin could taste Amaimon, bringing his hands into Samael's thick hair to get him as close as he could only for him to gasp and pull away.

Why became immediately apparent, Rin finding his attention caught in watching Amaimon direct Samael down in slow inches onto his length, having gotten fed up with waiting or just enjoying the moment of shock on Samael's face.

Rin enjoyed the look too, smiling as Samael bottomed out, tail stretching to tangle with Amaimon's after it had slid from him and making his own tail twitch at ghost sensations.

It was enough to watch Samael recover to rise over Amaimon until he'd almost disengaged, pinning Amaimon with his gaze and lowering back down with an agonizingly unhurried circling of his hips.

His teasing snapped Rin back to the day in his office when he'd rewarded Rin in the same way, though he had to skirt around what had led to the reward, using the sounds that had begun coming from Amaimon and Mephisto to center his mind on the present again.

Short, gasping breaths, the same ones Rin loved to elicit in Amaimon, drew him to watch each twitch in his expression that Samael's tortuous pace put there.

True to his word, Samael wouldn't let Amaimon move like he wanted, taut stomach rolling every time he lifted up, then dropping so that Amaimon hung on the edge and growing increasingly frustrated.

"Sam-ah! _Samael_," Amaimon hissed, claws digging into the sheets until he grabbed at the thighs straddling him and sunk in, glaring and insistent.

"_Ha_\- so demanding, Amaimon," Samael said, grunting at the pain, and dropped with more force than necessary to prompt a yelp from Amaimon.

The yelp trailed into a long moan as Samael began moving in earnest, hands at Amaimon's hips to give himself leverage and grin shark-like as Amaimon scrabbled against the sheets.

Rin's gaze caught on the spit slicking Amaimon's lips, red-tinged from Samael's bloody kiss, and didn't bother resisting the urge to press his thumb there to brush it away.

Gold eyes flashed from shuttered lids, Amaimon staring up at him with blown pupils and panting so that puffs of hot breath met his hand where he left it, the edge of his claw just indenting the delicate skin of his bottom lip.

His instincts were a writhing thing building in his chest, and, in this case, Rin wouldn't deny them.

He bent forward, though he left Amaimon in view of Samael as he used his thumb to force Amaimon's mouth open wider, smiling when his tongue lolled out seeming without his control.

"Samael," Rin let the name purr out of him, a deeper rumble jolting Amaimon against him, his pulse spiking even at the rapid pace it already sped at.

How he'd said his name stuttered Samael's movements, then sped them back up as if he were affected just by the way that Rin toyed with the syllables.

So he said it again to make his command.

"Samael," Rin looked up from beneath his bangs, hand tightening on Amaimon's jaw again, "make him _scream_ for me, please."

The harsh inhale through Samael's teeth and the twin moans that met his words scrawled a sly smile on Rin's face. He rubbed his thumb over Amaimon's cheekbone, claw scratching just under his eye and drawing Samael's utter focus.

They hadn't moved to obey yet. Rin curled a lip over his fang.

Blue flame lit around the three of them, licking away the blood and sweat from their bodies but not burning, a suggestion of a threat as Rin brought his power down in a pressurized wave.

It curled along Samael's spine, toyed with where he and Amaimon were connected by their tails. At the crooked moan from Amaimon, Rin's lips pulled back fully in a fanged smile

Samael just shuddered above him, eyes lost in the flickers of fire as he panted, dazed.

"No, huh?" Rin purred out, hand leaving Amaimon's face as he bowed to brush their cheeks together, fingers smoothing the hair that the flames had begun to toss around from his forehead.

"Then, Amaimon, I want you to make _him_ scream."

Amaimon didn't hesitate, spurred into motion the moment Rin growled the command in his ear, stressing it with a sharp nip to the edge just in case he froze like Samael had.

"_Ah_!" Samael cried out as Amaimon dug claws deep into his thighs, stealing control of their pace and slamming up into him, tail writhing in a constricting hold while Samael's eyes clenched shut.

Satisfied, Rin let the flames fade.

A snarl tore out of Amaimon's throat, his body tensing in frustration until he took his hand from Samael's thigh to push himself up from Rin, another cry forced from Samael at the changed angle.

But it didn't last long, Amaimon sinking his fangs into Samael's neck to tongue at the blood that spurted against him, eyelids shuttering with pleasure before, in another sharp movement, he had Samael on his back and his head in Rin's lap.

Rin smiled down at the stunned expression on Samael's face from the rough handling that quickly resumed as Amaimon hiked his legs over his shoulders and ground into him without pause.

A choked shout broke behind Samael's teeth, flushed features slick with sweat and spit where he'd begun to drool, arching his spine as his hips jerked with every thrust Amaimon pounded into him.

"Samael- Mephisto," Rin crooned, knowing it barely reached Samael's conscious mind but enjoying how his ears twitched at any word from him, tuned to whatever he said.

"_Scream_ for me, Samael." His gaze flicked up to meet Amaimon's the unspoken order coming loud and clear in the way Amaimon's pupils slivered.

"_Nhg- ha- ah_." Samael's mouth dropped open, eyes rolling back in his skull, staring at Rin, wide, but unseeing,

"_Samael_."

Amaimon snarled, slipping his tail from Samael's to wind it around his length, coiling there only to bring the now freed tail to his mouth and bite.

"_Ahhh_!" A spasm went through Samael, scream trailing into a long keen as he released against his chest and down the green scales still squeezing at his length.

He must have clenched around Amaimon because he followed suit, muffling his groan into the skin of Samael's thigh, lips dragging there while his mind whited out.

Instincts took over and another cry shook free from Samael when Amaimon sank his claws into his thighs and his fangs where'd he'd been pressed to, blood seeping from the punctures to smear over his face and down Samael's legs.

Then it was just their panting breaths filling the room as they came down from the high.

Rin rested his palm to Samael's chest, stroking there and listening to the calming heartbeat.

A feeling of smug contentment had Rin tapping his thumb to the heartbeat, waiting for Samael to recover.

He blinked as Amaimon started moving, tail unwinding from Samael and setting his legs back to the rumpled sheets only to flop forwards onto the unsuspecting body beneath his.

"Oof- _Amaimon_," Samael growled, snapping back to awareness at the heavy weight that had just dropped onto him and bringing his claws to the back of Amaimon's neck as if to throw him off.

But Amaimon nosing into his throat with a hum and getting comfortable, sated, kept him from getting flung.

Well, Rin wouldn't be the odd one out.

So decided, he gently lay Samael's head to the mattress and took his own place, wriggling until he had his face to Samael's chest next to Amaimon's shoulder.

An arm coming to hug him closer to Samael completed the pile they'd formed and Rin made the executive decision to drift back off.

"Somebody's gotta make sure Kuro doesn't come back in here, 'k?" Rin mumbled.

Samael snorted softly, rubbing a hand to the tangled strands of Rin's hair after a snap to clean them. "He's a smart creature, I'm sure he'll keep well away from the room."

"Good," Rin said after a moment, the exhaustion of the long night and their morning exertions finally sapping the remainders of his energy.

He drifted into sleep to the sounds of Amaimon's purring and the feel of Samael's hand running through his hair.

* * *

"Hey," Rin said, making Mephisto look up from the paperwork on his desk with a raised brow, "I want to go to the wedding still."

The downward twitch his statement brought to Mephisto's lips had Rin preparing to argue his case.

But Mephisto's expression smoothed out and he nodded. "Miss Kirigakure has discussed what your friends may or may not do around you and, after that last mess they've undoubtedly learned to keep their hands to themselves."

"Er," Rin sighed, seeing it hadn't just been Amaimon who had a problem with his friends, "yeah, I'll be okay as long as they don't start trying to get me to leave like that again- which, I mean, you're right, they probably won't."

"Good, then, if you're sure about this." Mephisto eyed him, making Rin huff a breath out and smile.

"Yeah, and," Rin added, watching to see how his next request would affect Mephisto, "I want to bring Amaimon."

Mephisto froze, hands stilling over his papers.

It had Rin's smile stretching into a smirk. "You know, since I can't bring you, and all."

Yep, a hint of red rose to Mephisto's cheeks and a grumble under his breath answered Rin's teasing. "Were this a thousand years ago, no one would have cared if I'd had an entire harem to myself- _humans_ and their sensibilities."

"I think Yukio still would've been upset about it," Rin said, snickering.

"Yes, he would have found a way, I'm sure," Mephisto agreed, propping his head on his knuckles with a wry smile in answer.

A wicked gleam entered his eyes then and Rin perked up, alerted to possible mischief.

"You could, of course, send him as Ambrosia," he practically purred the suggestion out, "then the humans in the know would be the only ones and the rest will think nothing of it."

Rin had blanked on hearing 'Ambrosia' already picturing Amaimon dressed in something Mephisto had picked out accompanying him to a wedding and feeling a flush rise to his cheeks

"Y-yeah, that sounds good," Rin said in a rasp, swallowing at the images his mind brought to the surface.

"Of course, you'll have to ask him, or would you rather I did?"

The question drew Rin from his thoughts but didn't bother him, "I can, but he won't leave me anyway, so I'm not worried."

"So confident," Mephisto said, leaning back and sighing, "but you're right, he will go, at least to keep- as he says, those grubby worms away from you."

"Awesome, though seriously, you remember I'm like, half of those worms, right?" Rin said with a flat glare, knowing it was an uphill battle to get either of the two demon kings to change their views on humans. Not that he wouldn't keep trying, anyway.

"Hmf," Mephisto sniffed going back to work, "they're not even in the same realm of worth that you carry- now, why don't you go find Amaimon so I can enjoy his expression when you ask him to the wedding, hmm?"

* * *

Amaimon stared, a slow blink of his eyes, clawed thumb between his lips and chewing the nail as Rin made his request.

That blank expression morphed into a peeved glare over to Mephisto.

"You have an outfit already."

The poker face Mephisto wore split into a fanged smirk. "Several, in fact, you'll just have to try them all on until we see which will go best with the clothes I have for Rin."

"Oh!" Rin gasped, remembering, "the ones you bought for the Christmas-birthday party for me!"

He hadn't gotten to reward Mephisto for that, not like he'd wanted to, not like he'd been able to reward Amaimon, because of all his friends watching.

And- he shook off thoughts of who else he'd been hiding from with a shiver he hoped no one could see. It didn't matter anymore. He didn't have to worry.

A moment passed and he'd convinced his body of that fact, too, forcing himself into a better mood with sheer will and thinking about rewarding Mephisto instead.

Rin decided to fix his blip, grinning until it felt natural as he stepped away from Amaimon to lean over Mephisto's desk.

"I never got to say 'thanks' for that," he said to the matching grin, closing the last inch to press their lips together.

"You did, but I'll accept further signs of your gratitude, Rin," Mephisto spoke against his mouth. "Later, we need to get our dear Ambrosia outfitted."

A soft growl from Amaimon had Rin cocking his head to see him and fighting to keep the smile at the irritation that met his attempts at bay.

"I'm not wearing those gloves again," he said, giving in to Rin's request with a demand of his own and narrowed gold eyes.

"Deal," Mephisto accepted, though another wicked look appeared on his face right after. "Besides, you can't go repeating an outfit, how incredibly unseemly, we'll have to try _much_ different things for your second debut."

The grumble from Amaimon brought a sigh out of Rin, amused by the simple deals they made with each other over even the smallest things.

He couldn't help but wonder, as Mephisto snapped them to his walk-in closet for the fitting, if it had been a wager that started everything.

But the cloud of pink smoke heralding the first of the outfits dragged him away from his stray thought to appreciate the put-upon glower on Amaimon's face.

* * *

Blue eyes considered him from behind lenses as Yukio processed his statement. By the way his twin's brows furrowed Rin could see he wanted to argue.

"It's okay, Yukio!" Rin hurried to exclaim, waving a hand in front of him as if to chase away Yukio's doubts, "I'll be fine, and Amaimon will be there if anything goes wrong- which it won't, but in case it does, you know?"

A long sigh met his assurances before Yukio spoke, "that's what I'm afraid of, I know he's been able to handle himself in the cram classes, but the Myo-oda aren't like the Order, they might not be so happy he's there- and this is _really_ last minute, Rin."

Yeah, he knew that. Rin glared at the reminder, like he didn't know already what Yukio was talking about. He'd had the same worries before when bringing Amaimon to his cram classes, let alone introducing him to Bon's family.

Oh god, Rin realized, a line of ice sliding down his spine. He was going to have to introduce Amaimon to Bon and Shima's families.

"I'll ask Bon!" Rin quickly said before he could psych himself out. He needed to do this, needed to prove that he could, that he wasn't going to be ruled by that night for the rest of his life and-

Rin dragged his thoughts back in a stranglehold, trying to trick his body into thinking his fluttering pulse and racing nerves were from excitement and not apprehension.

Amaimon. He could think about Amaimon.

-And he needed to see Amaimon in that outfit Mephisto had chosen. Rin licked at his lips as he remembered which outfit they'd gone for, using the memory to shove the others aside.

Yukio coughed, finger tapping against his arm as Rin realized he'd gotten caught in his memories. "Are you sure you're okay to do this, Rin?"

Behind the stuffy frown on Yukio's face, Rin could see his worry. It pinched the corners of his eyes, made his body tense, and made Rin feel like a jerk for making his twin concerned about him like that.

His expression softened, smiling and coming to stand at Yukio's side, ignoring the confused wariness his wordless move caused and bumping their shoulders together.

"Hey, I'll be okay, we'll be okay," he started, staring ahead but keeping Yukio in his peripherals so he could track his mood.

Silence and Yukio sliding his gaze to peer out of the corner of his eyes had Rin wondering if he was even going to the wedding or had somehow decided to skip it without Rin knowing.

"If Bon doesn't think it will go well," Yukio said, hesitating, "will you still bring him? Are you able to handle it without him, even, or will you stay home?"

Bitter fear sliced through Rin's chest at the thought of the exuberant mobs of family- Shima's, in particular, who he might not be able to fend off by himself- and shuddered.

He couldn't help the jolts, knowing Yukio felt the unbidden reaction and hating that it would cause him to doubt his abilities even more.

And hating himself for having the reaction.

The brief moment during the night of the party before everything had happened had made him so happy. To just be invited at all to something like a wedding, to have friends whose families liked him enough to invite him at all, Rin had never thought he'd get to have that in his life.

Then to have that joy tarnished by one night so that he couldn't remember one without the other-

Fury welled in his chest, but it was followed closely behind by self-directed hate. Rin _hated_ that he couldn't control his body's reactions, couldn't stop the cold sweat and panicked pulse when people approached him certain ways anymore.

He'd loved getting to meet the members of Bon and Shima's family. They'd been loud and fun and kind to him in a way he hadn't experienced from others more than a handful of times.

But- Rin shivered again- now that hive of chaotic energy made terror prick at his nerves, already feeling the phantom touches to his body.

Only Amaimon and Mephisto managed to see the signs and move to mitigate his burgeoning meltdowns.

Only they had been able to stave off the fear. He needed them until he could face these things himself.

So, the determination steeled into a solid core inside his heart. He wouldn't be going without Amaimon there beside him, and if Yukio didn't like that then that wasn't his problem.

Rin grit his teeth, bowing his head before looking up from his bangs to the carefully neutral expression on Yukio's face and growling his answer out.

"I'm taking him, no matter what. We're allowed a plus one, and he's going as Ambrosia."

Yukio got stubborn too. "You can't just say that, Rin! It's not your wedding, you were invited, remember?"

They glared at each other. Electricity sparked between their blue eyes that Rin was just now realizing looked completely different.

When had Yukio become so hard to reach?

The determination grew brittle, his doubts sinking in with Yukio's apparent belief that he wouldn't be able to deal with the wedding.

And...

...The thought of the flames in those eyes made Rin flinch, breaking the stare-down.

"I have to do this, Yukio, please let me try," he mumbled, voice cracking on the last word and hating how weak he sounded.

A sharp inhale from Yukio had hope budding in his chest and Rin peeked up again, only to wince at the look the saw.

"It's not up to me, anyway, so I'm not sure why you're asking me, Rin," Yukio said, jerking his head to the side as if he were the one hurting. "Just ask Bon and Shima before you do anything."

Steps had Rin searching the hall to the kitchen they were in, the sound eventually reaching Yukio, too, who snapped his attention there while they waited for who would join them.

Relief flooded Rin's veins when he recognized the steps and scent before Mephisto entered the room. Though after the relief came a not quite unfounded fear at what Mephisto would have to say to Yukio's advisement.

"Sir Pheles," Yukio began, mouth opened, probably to expound on his worries about Rin. "I-"

Mephisto cut Yukio off, glancing over him before dismissing him, which, Rin winced, he'd have to have some kinda talk about that with Mephisto. He knew they could get along, if the breakfasts they'd been having together meant anything, and he didn't want to keep having to protect everyone from each other.

"You'll be glad to hear, Rin, I've just gotten off the phone with the head of the Shima clan and explained your situation."

A shuttering breath whooshed from Rin's mouth even as Yukio's mouth pressed on a thin line.

"Apologies," by the smile Mephisto directed at Yukio, he wasn't, "I know you must have some reservations, but I have every confidence this wedding will go without a hitch."

A long pause answered his statement.

"I'll hold you to that," Yukio responded, voice low and verging on a threat. Mephisto saw it and only smiled wider.

Great. Rin suppressed another sigh sending a smile of his own to Mephisto for anticipating the possible obstacles.

"Thanks, Mephisto, I was just going to call Bon to ask him about it, though I guess I should still do that."

"If that's all," Yukio said, startling Rin from his rambling. He turned his head, questioning, to see Yukio adjusting his collar with a stoic expression that stripped the previous emotion from his eyes.

"Uh, sure, Yukio, I just wanted to let you know," Rin trailed off as Yukio nodded abruptly and said a polite goodbye.

He watched Yukio leave with a sinking heart, not knowing why every conversation they had seemed to make him more unsettled.

Shiemi. Rin resolved to talk to Shiemi about Yukio. If it would help move the inevitable conversation away from him and onto another topic, well, Rin dropped his gaze, guilt picking at his nerves. Shiemi didn't need to get saddled with what had happened to him, anyway.

"You're sure about this course, then, Rin?"

Mephisto's careful question took him from his worries about Yukio and seeing his friends again. Rin shook his head, chasing the shadows from his mind to look at the green eyes analyzing him, though what Mephisto saw was hidden too well to parse.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Rin joked, mouth quirking in a wry grin. He had a feeling he would be getting a lot of people asking if he was sure he could handle things.

"Besides," Rin crossed his arms, "you did say you had every confidence things would be okay at the wedding, unless you were lying about that."

Which, he definitely could be. Rin narrowed his eyes and waited to see what Mephisto might reveal about the future.

The direct question made the already neutral expression shutter further. He frowned, wondering if it was something he should press, knowing if Mephisto didn't want him to know he never would until whatever it was punched him in the face.

A sigh, and Mephisto tapped a claw to his forearm, head tilting as if he debated what he would say.

Rin held his breath, suddenly unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"There's so much coming that has already begun, a domino effect I'm not sure can be stopped."

That- Rin sucked at his teeth behind his lips- that didn't sound promising.

But Mephisto waited for him to process his implications, gaze steady under Rin's scrutiny.

There were so many ways he could respond to the revelations from Mephisto. Rin contained the first instinct to growl and demand he stop playing around like he would have done at the start of it all.

He knew Mephisto better than that now.

And he didn't want what had led up to that night on the balcony to ever happen again. Seeing Mephisto getting tenser and more stressed every day, even while he lived in denial about even being capable of stress, until it all came out in a violent explosion…

Well, while it had been great for clearing the air, Rin hated seeing him like that, never mind what Mephisto had done because of it to he and Amaimon. He grimaced and tugged a hand through his bangs before huffing a breath out and choosing his path.

"You know, this all happened because you kept everything to yourself, it might help to get a new perspective."

His words had Mephisto snapping his gaze back to meet his, green eyes piercing in their intensity and searching his face.

Rin didn't know what he expected but it wasn't for a wide smile to form and Mephisto to laugh, hard, hand coming up to wipe a non-existent tear away.

"What?" Rin grumbled, suppressing the urge to tap his foot like Yukio sometimes did but understanding the reaction so much better now.

Before he could repeat himself, Mephisto walked the last few steps and Rin found his face cupped between clawed hands, skin warmed in Mephisto's palms and looking up into his eyes.

"Ah, another human idea you're trying to teach me, I see," Mephisto said, bringing their foreheads to touch until Rin nearly went cross-eyed trying to maintain the staring contest he'd entered.

"What?" He blurted again, this time in utter confusion, though he felt his cheeks heating in a flush at Mephisto's oddly affectionate gesture.

It just made the grin stretch to Cheshire proportions as Mephisto pressed a kiss where Rin's brows scrunched together before pulling back to answer.

"The fine art of communication, the most important element in a relationship, or so I've heard," he snickered as if the entire concept was the funniest thing he'd heard all day.

But the answer clicked for Rin and he realized exactly why Mephisto was so amused.

He buried his face in his hands, resisting the need to scream at the both of them until the humor of it had his mouth twitching in its own grin.

Rin dropped his hands, flush fading as a laugh overtook him at the ridiculousness of it all. "Yeah well, it's not like I know what I'm doing, either, dammit."

Another short chuckle escaped Mephisto, head shaking in disbelief, "that would make two of us, I suppose, though after the countless years of my life, I had thought I had everything figured out."

"You have complicated a great many things, you know," Mephisto finished, exasperated.

That was fair. Rin thought that might be the case with everyone he interacted with ever, actually. "Yeah, story of my life, I'm not sorry."

"Cheeky," Mephisto said, coming forward again to steal a kiss, tweaking Rin's ear at the same time to send him squeaking into it and glaring as he broke away.

His irritated glare faded as he hesitated, glancing down before speaking.

"But, you will talk to us before it gets that bad again, right?"

"If you notice I've started down that path again," Mephisto said after contemplating Rin's words, laying out his response with equal thought, like a promise between the two of them, "you have my permission to tell me so."

Something in Rin's chest, a knot he hadn't known was there, loosened, leaving him lighter than he'd ever felt.

Rin smiled, and gave his answer, "is that a deal, Mephisto?"

A matching smile met him, Mephisto drawing him into an embrace with a hand at his lower back and another at his jaw to murmur his answer in turn.

"Yes, Rin, I accept your deal."

* * *

"I'm heading out, Rin, I need to get Shiemi and I'll meet you at the train station, okay?"

"Sure, Yukio," Rin said, still not actually sure how Yukio had convinced him that leaving separately was good but unable to think of a way to stop him that didn't involve force.

"See ya," he mumbled to Yukio's back. Happy, at least, that he'd convinced Yukio to take Kuro with him when he went so he wasn't alone.

He stood in the entryway, unused to the feeling of indecision he'd never had to deal with before.

"I don't need it."

Rin startled out of his thoughts at the annoyed hiss from Amaimon, turning to see him stalking from the hallway.

"A handbag completes the look, Amaimon," Mephisto said, trailing behind him and one step away from growling.

Gold eyes held a warning as Amaimon came to stand at Rin's shoulder. He crossed his arms, gaze and stance daring Mephisto to come closer with the black purse thing Rin thought must be the handbag that was the source of their current argument.

"I don't want to carry it, there's no point," came the rebuttal.

"Er, he's right, what would he even put in it?" Rin hesitated in saying, not sure what was going on but getting the gist of it.

Two sets of slit-pupiled eyes snapped to him and Rin raised his hands, stepping back. "I mean, he just does the poofing thing you guys do so it's not like he needs it to carry stuff, right?"

Amaimon nodded while Mephisto groaned, gaze going skyward as if asking for patience.

"That's entirely beside the point," he said, seeming one move away from rubbing a hand to his face in exasperation, "he may as well go naked if he doesn't have all the proper accessories."

"I don't get it," Rin said after sharing a blank look with Amaimon.

The black handbag smacked against Mephisto's palm as he glowered in irritation. "Will you two trust me on this one thing? I can't believe I'm with such complete urchins."

With them, huh? Rin slid a glance at Amaimon to see if he was thinking the same thing. The hint of a smirk staring back at him made him confident he was.

He moved into Amaimon's space, smiling when he draped his arms over his shoulders and propped his chin on his head while Mephisto's glare became suspicious.

"Well, I mean, if you want it that bad, what'll we get in return?" The huff of amused breath that shifted the strands of his hair said he'd guessed Amaimon's train of thought right.

And getting to see the affronted face Mephisto now wore as he realized he'd been ganged up on was totally worth it.

A rueful smile broke through the offense, Mephisto apparently unable to begrudge them too much.

"You imps," he growled out, "what do you want?"

"Hmm," Rin made a show of considering his request and rubbed idle fingers over Amaimon's arm. "It's really Amaimon's decision, he's the one who's gotta carry that thing around the whole night."

"Thousands of years old and you haven't learned the basics of human social customs," Mephisto muttered, though he raised a brow at Amaimon as he waited for his request instead.

A hum vibrated out of Amaimon and, when he spoke, Rin could hear the smirk in his deliberately light voice, "I'll take it with me, Samael-"

Amaimon paused, clearly enjoying himself despite the warning gleam in Mephisto's eyes.

"-If you _play_ with me next time."

Play. Rin almost broke his composure when that word exited Amaimon's mouth.

Regular play, the definition he hadn't understood in the beginning, wasn't something Amaimon would barter with, not when he wasn't being denied it anyway.

Which meant Amaimon meant the second definition demons attributed to the word.

He wanted a play fight.

Rin thought he might be shaking at the anticipation jolting through his veins and sending electricity sparking down his spine.

Until that moment he hadn't known just how badly he wanted- _needed_ to see Mephisto play.

By the way Amaimon tightened his arms around him, his physical reaction had been both felt and expected.

Mephisto's nose flared, pupils slivering as he registered the deal Amaimon proposed, fingers clutching to the handbag in an unconscious movement.

Rin really, _really_ wanted him to accept.

"_Well_," Mephisto said, features shifting and drawing it out in a sly drawl as he scanned sharp green eyes over them, "that seems worth a little more than taking one handbag to a human wedding, don't you think?"

The sidestep from Mephisto nearly had Rin groaning in disappointment, hoping Amaimon had a counter to it before he got desperate and offered something of his own.

A scoff and Amaimon shaking his head had Rin holding his breath to see how he answered.

"If that human accessory is so important to you, then playing with me later is fair."

Yes, Rin added in his head, yes it was very fair and Mephisto should stop hedging for more so he could watch them play together.

But he knew letting Mephisto see how much he wanted it would only make the torment last that much longer. So Rin forced the urge to lick at his lips away and un-tensed his body.

His efforts got him a subtle press of Amaimon's fingers at his chest, making Rin's heart thud to his ribs before he could calm himself again.

"It can't be helped, then. I accept."

Yes! Rin nearly crowed at the victory, though he didn't let the grin that wanted to form show yet, waiting for Amaimon's signal.

Mephisto sniffed, turning his nose up before tossing the handbag to Amaimon, who caught it over Rin's head and vanished it away.

"Now, are we finished here?" Mephisto said, eyeing them like they'd been the ones holding things up instead of the other way around.

But Rin was getting what he wanted so he wouldn't be mentioning it until they were far out of ear shot.

"Yep," he chirped out, keeping his smile guileless as he left Amaimon's arms, "I'm good if Amaimon is."

Amaimon shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets and already heading for the door without bothering with a goodbye.

"Bye, Mephisto! I'll see you in a few days," Rin said for the both of them, leaving a quick parting kiss before going to catch up to Amaimon.

"Goodbye, loves."

Rin stopped, frozen in his tracks, and saw Amaimon had stalled in place by the door, too.

What had-?

Loves.

_Loves_.

He'd said-

The wide-eyed look that met his when Amaimon jerked his head around made Rin realize his heart had begun pounding.

Before he could think beyond the impulse that struck all other thoughts from his mind, Rin flung himself back to Mephisto.

His hands went to Mephisto's bangs, tugging him down into a deep kiss and melding their bodies together in a breathless whirl.

He lost himself trying to express how, exactly, hearing that word from Mephisto's mouth made him feel.

A purr rose in his chest when Mephisto reciprocated, hand coming to lay at his shoulders and the small of his back.

When he broke away, it was to press another hard kiss to Mephisto's cheek before setting back and smiling wide enough to hurt.

"Well," Mephisto gasped, blinking at him as he tried to collect himself, though the dusting of pink over his face said he hadn't managed it yet.

"I'll see you in a few days," Rin repeated like if he hadn't just utterly overwhelmed Mephisto and been overwhelmed in turn.

Before Mephisto could say anything, Amaimon appeared next to them, blank-faced as he dragged Mephisto into his own swift kiss.

He pulled away moments later, still without expression while Mephisto proceeded to look blindsided.

"Can we go now?" Amaimon grumbled.

"Yeah, I think we're good now," Rin said, linking their arms together and casting a sly grin at Mephisto.

They began walking only for Mephisto to grab Rin's free hand.

"You didn't flinch when you couldn't breathe from your mouth, Rin," Mephisto said, voice a low murmur as he brought Rin's knuckles to his lips, leaving them there while he spoke.

He hadn't-

Rin's breath caught, realizing for an instant that he'd been able to go without remembering the trauma of the muzzle.

Warm palms cupped his hand while Rin let the realization flow through him that, given time, he would be able to exist without being ruled by that night.

"Thank you, Mephisto," he finally said, smile softening on his face that Mephisto echoed before releasing him with a last light trace of his lips.

"A few days, Rin."

A few days.

Rin met Amaimon at the door, bumping against him as they left for the train that would take them to Kyoto and his friends.

A few days.

* * *

A/N: A few days, which is how long I thought the epilogue (and this whole fic tbh) was gonna take I WAS WRONG (:

Let me know if you guys liked the fluff~


	8. Nocte Finita

Summary:

What's a wedding without a friendly, sportsman-like wager between demonic lovers? Not one Mephisto wants to be invited to, that's for sure. But to get to the wedding, Rin has to run the gamut of his memories of the night, deal with his well-meaning friends, and keep Ambrosia out of sight of any Shima clan members who might want to get fresh with her. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Nothing.

Notes:

So this epilogue could have been split in half YET AGAIN but I refuse to increase the chapter count as a personal vendetta against myself for yet again writing more than I thought I would (:

So, here, take this monster of an epilogue chapter at like, 53 PAGES ! ahhhhhhhhh fml

But it's done! The Long Night is officially OVER! My watch has ended.

Now, with 2 whole new fics put out in the interim, I can get back to Briar Rose, months after I promised myself I'd start working on that :D

Song(s) of the Chapter:

Dizzy by Missio: watch?v=BCaxIMypPck

Bet on You by The Man Who: watch?v=PJaKgP2ZdCQ

Bad Sun by The Bravery: watch?v=_dHzE0740Gw

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Rin."

Rin hid a wince when he saw the hesitation and heard it in Shiemi's voice from where she stood across from him at the station.

He wouldn't go back to the way things were before he'd come clean to his friends. When he'd hid so much of himself from them and refused to trust them until the truth had been forced into the light by a certain demon king.

So, Rin moved in, bringing Shiemi into his embrace as she squeaked in surprise.

"Hey, Shiemi," he said against her hair, holding on until she hugged him back, hands fisting into his coat.

The scent of tears reached him, a slight shaking in Shiemi's frame that he didn't acknowledge, letting her work through it at her own pace.

Watery green eyes fluttered up at him before Shiemi brushed the remaining tears from them, sniffing and smiling.

"I'm sorry, Rin," she said, stepping back and flushing with embarrassment, "I shouldn't have pressured you, I was scared and I didn't think, and- and I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault, I should have listened to Mephisto and waited to see you guys," Rin said, waving his hand to brush the topic aside and jerking his head down, grimacing at the remembered blunder of a night.

"The train's about to take off, we should go, everyone," Yukio called from where he stood with Kuro in his luggage bag, interrupting to direct them on board.

"Ah, Ambrosia! It's good to see you again," Shiemi said as she bowed deeply enough Rin thought her winter hat would fall off to an impassive Amaimon.

Amaimon stared down at Shiemi, gold eyes scanning her bowed form before he grunted. The short response somehow garnered him a bright smile from her when she stood again, so Rin chalked it up as a win for getting Amaimon to socialize with his friends.

But the brief joy of having Amaimon and Shiemi bonding tore apart when he got on the train.

The noisy chatter that he'd been able to ignore at the station magnified in the enclosed space. There was barely enough room to move! His breath shortened, vision tunneling while he trailed after Yukio, unable to stop, unable to think.

Too _loud_\- too much!

A wash of noise thrummed in his ears, pressing like a fist around a skull, like his claws had done to-

Hands covered his ears, warming the remaining winter chill he never really felt anymore from his skin and muffling the passengers.

Rin realized he'd stopped walking a moment later, eyelids shuttering until he blinked the haze that had overtaken him away.

"We can go, Rin," Amaimon said, and Rin knew from his voice he would be glaring at everyone around them, keeping them from coming any closer.

The knowledge that, at any time it became too much for him, Amaimon would be there to take him home, to protect him from others and others from himself-

-It gave him the strength he needed to suck a sharp inhale through his teeth, shaking his head and dislodging Amaimon's hands.

"Thanks, Amaimon," Rin said, bringing one of his hands to his mouth in a brief touch of lips to the palm before continuing on.

Yukio watched him with another apprehensive frown in the seat he'd taken but didn't say anything when Rin sat across from him with Amaimon, accepting Kuro when he jumped to his lap to begin purring.

Shiemi hid her distress much more poorly.

She wanted to say something, Rin could see. The way she worried the fabric of her coat, gaze flicking between he and Amaimon and bottom lip caught under her teeth.

Yukio was a study in silence beside her, that practiced veneer on his face that hadn't left since the night Rin had forced him to tell him about the flames in his eyes.

Amaimon became a glowering presence beside him where he'd gotten the window seat for everyone's sake.

He had to head off the potential questions and the inevitable explosion they would bring out in Amaimon.

So, he started talking.

"This is the first wedding I've been to- both of ours, right, Yukio? I'm so excited!"

"Er, yeah, that's right," Yukio said, startled out of his daze by his name.

"I've never been either!" Shiemi added, mood brightening at the topic, always one to love any kind of event like the-

Rin hid the jolt that went through his heart.

-Like the party.

Shiemi was saying something, Yukio smiling over at her, a softening of his tension Rin would have been thrilled to see if he'd been capable of focus.

A snap and a poof of smoke jerked his head over to Amaimon.

Another second and he found a maroon coat wrapped around his body, enveloping him in Amaimon's scent- an immediate balm on his frayed nerves.

Rin pulled the collar up higher, burrowing his nose into it and inhaling, centering himself back in the present. He lay his hand to Kuro's ribs, letting the heartbeat there soothe him further.

"Amaimon, you should be more discreet with your powers," Yukio said after he recovered from the surprise.

Oh no. Rin felt the urge to wince build again. Amaimon tolerated exactly no one's orders unless they could back them up with greater power.

"Humans are blind, I can get away with _murder_ if it pleases me," Amaimon nearly snarled out while his claws clenched into his palms.

"And we don't have to test that, Amaimon," Rin hurried to interrupt, hand coming to his arm and giving a brief squeeze.

"It's okay, Yuki, no one noticed, and I think it's sweet he did that," Shiemi said, her own calming gesture to Yukio's arm dispelling the rising tension.

Yukio held Amaimon's steely gaze a moment longer before releasing a silent sigh and sitting back. "Fine, more importantly- since _apparently_ no one will notice- you should change into your other form while we're on the way so your disguise is in place, _Ambrosia_."

The pupils in Amaimon's eyes slivered and Rin suspected his fangs were extended behind his lips, too.

But, "please, Amaimon," Rin whispered, hand encircling his wrist in a loose hold and meeting the furious look that Amaimon had been pinning Yukio with.

It melted away, whipcord muscles and tendons no longer one step from exploding into violence as Amaimon slouched back into the seat.

Rin blinked and Ambrosia stared back at him, the change coming over Amaimon without any noticeable sign.

Well, besides the maroon peacoat and black skirt he now wore over his usual green leggings and heeled boots.

Another outfit selection from Mephisto, had to be, Rin thought, running his gaze up and down the body beside him and wondering how complete the outfit he'd chosen was.

Wondering if Mephisto had picked out everything to the last detail like he'd done for the dress Amaimon would be wearing later.

Kohl-ringed eyes closed in a slow blink before Amaimon turned to the window. A sucker appeared in his hand, once again in silence and without the cloud of smoke that preceded a summons.

He realized Amaimon had decided to listen to Yukio after all and wondered if Yukio knew just how many others had failed in that regard. The number of frustrated academy and cram-school professors could attest to those failed attempts.

"Thank you, Ambrosia," Yukio said, head turned to his own window, and Rin thought maybe he did realize.

The peace they settled into lasted the rest of the trip.

"We're here, Shiemi, Rin, wake up."

A claw tapped to Rin's jaw, enhancing the voice he registered as Yukio's and jogging him out of the light doze he'd fallen into.

"Wuh- already? That was fast," Rin said, picking his head up from Amaimon's shoulder and wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

They disembarked, Rin shooting an apologetic smile at Amaimon for the mess- not that he thought Amaimon really cared.

And Rin was back in Kyoto. The memories of the last time he'd been there during the utter chaos of the Impure King mission coming back in a rush.

Still, the good memories prevailed, especially once he spotted the Kyoto Tower on a tourist map at the station they exited into.

"Oh man, I hope we have time for sightseeing," Rin said, almost babbling in his excitement and clutching at Amaimon's arm while they walked to the pick-up area.

Kuro marveled at the city with them from where he'd been tucked back in Yukio's luggage.

"I have so many more places I looked up to check out next time we were here!" Rin grinned at Shiemi and let the excitement overtake his anxiety.

Yukio's sigh had Rin wondering if he'd get shot down for one reason or another, already preparing to argue his case.

"We should have free time after the wedding lets out if you want to see something, Rin."

"Yes! Awesome, thanks, Yukio," Rin said, reaching to tug Yukio into a quick hug and releasing him before he could complain.

One twin now looking like a ruffled chicken later, Rin kept up the mood by telling Shiemi about the places he wanted to check out.

He knew Amaimon listened, though he stayed quiet, draped against him and chewing on the latest sucker.

It lasted until their ride showed up.

But it wasn't the bus they'd taken last time.

Rin gulped at the sight of an older model car that slowed to a stop at the curb. Who had come to take them to the inn? That blond-haired guy- Shima's older brother? Or someone else?

The door opening answered his question and Rin felt his heart judder against his ribs.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite kiddos- and cait sidhe! Long time no see, everyone, I hope you had easy travels here," Tatsuma said, smiling and waving as he closed the door to come around to the popped trunk.

Bon's dad. A wavering smile of his own came in response. It was infinitely better to see him than any of the others he was more hesitant about.

The polite murmurings from Yukio and Shiemi washed through his ears as they began loading their travel cases into the trunk.

Then Tatsuma stood before him, a soft expression on his face. Rin held his breath, suddenly afraid of what he might say, knowing he'd been told about what had been done to Rin- what Rin had done to others.

Knowing he saw the now white hair, slit-pupil eyes, black claws, and hint of horns peeking from under his bangs.

And that Amaimon, demon king of earth, would be attending the wedding at Rin's side.

Rin never knew just how much he wanted Tatsuma's approval until just then. How scared he was to lose it.

Clawed fingers interlocked with his, Amaimon a solid presence that buoyed him so that he wasn't dragged beneath the threatening waves of panic.

"Rin, it's good to have you, son, let's get your bag in the car, huh?"

Chills sent goosebumps rising on his arms that even the winter air hadn't been able to raise. The sheer relief like an electric current along his nerves sending his grip on Amaimon's hand spasming.

"Y-yeah," Rin said, eyes wide as his heart thudded at those simple words, the only ones he'd needed to hear.

Tatsuma hadn't tried to pity him, hadn't tried to touch him, had instead told him in plain honesty that he accepted Rin and with him, Amaimon, despite everything.

He wasn't going to cry, but he did have to scrub the itching at the corners of his eyes away before he got into the car alongside Shiemi, and Amaimon while Yukio took the front with Kuro.

It came out, then, that they would be joining everyone at the inn, the others having arrived a few days before to help prepare.

The rest of the drive was spent talking about light topics, Rin repeating his plans for sightseeing after the wedding and happily asking Tatsuma for more insider details about the places.

It never moved anywhere near the topics Rin feared, though random pulses of adrenaline kept shooting through his body the longer the drive went.

Each time it happened, a purr, softer than human senses could pick up, vibrated against him from an otherwise silent Amaimon and he could calm his racing heart.

So, in that way, they made it to the inn.

"Alright, everyone pile out!" Tatsuma said, patting the car door.

Rin stood by with his overnight bag, centering himself before he would enter the chaos.

"Ah, hang on a bit, Rin," Tatsuma called, over the car where he was shutting the trunk.

Yukio, Kuro, and Shiemi cast worried looks back at him before Tatsuma shooed them inside to meet up with Shima and Koneko, who would show them around.

"What's up?" Rin watched him, trying not to feel wary but feeling it anyway. He had to keep it under control or risk Amaimon picking up on it and getting even more defensive. Amaimon had gotten infinitely better since the beginning of their relationship and Rin wouldn't jeopardize that progress.

"Rin," Tatsuma began, eyes heavy under his wrinkled brow, "I'm just going to come out and get this settled, okay?"

Before Rin could have a chance to panic or ask what he meant, Tatsuma continued, steadfast and calm, "you're always welcome here, in my home and with my family. You don't ever have to worry about that, ya hear?"

Oh.

"O-oh, thanks, Mr. Suguro," Rin managed to get past the lump in his throat.

No one had ever-

He swallowed, nodding so Tatsuma wouldn't think he was being ignored.

But-

-But it felt good to be accepted- into a family, no less.

There was the question of what Bon thought about his dad's statement, never mind what his _mom_ would think, but Rin had a feeling he would find out on this trip.

"Now," Tatsuma smiled to make the laughter-lines in his face crease, the heavy mood lifting, "I've gotten you your own room so you don't have to squeeze in with anyone- there's two entire families staying at the inn for the wedding so everything is filled, you see."

"Oh man, you didn't have to," Rin started only to stop and take a breath, averting his gaze, before admitting, "I- thanks, Mr. Suguro, I don't want to bother anyone or- or accidentally hurt them if I have a nightmare."

Even admitting that small part of his issues to someone had Rin wanting to flee- to go back on the train or tell Amaimon to take him home.

It was too much, the kindness that seemed to come without strings attached from someone like Bon's dad, who must have something better to do than reassure him like he was.

"Don't think anything of it, Rin, it's the least you deserve after everything you've done for me and my family," Tatsuma said, though Rin had to stop himself from arguing at yet another person talking about anyone deserving anything, knowing it was just a distraction from the surge of emotion he wasn't used to handling.

Rather than dealing with that, Rin threw his focus at something else to get the conversation back to safer waters. Amaimon shifting next to him gave him the perfect outlet.

"Ah, about Amaimon," Rin shot a quick look over at Amaimon, seeing his gold eyes locked onto Tatsuma like he would strike the moment it seemed he might attack Rin.

Oh no. Rin thought for the second time that day. Amaimon had entered a defensive mode ever since the train station and being surrounded by exorcists, humans, and Rin, on edge as he was, meant the state wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Well, I guess you won't be completely alone, eh, Rin?" Came the cheerful words from Tatsuma and making Rin blink back at him.

"You gonna formally introduce us?"

Formally introduce Amaimon, Demon King of Earth and Seventh in Gehenna under Satan, to Bon's dad. Rin wanted to laugh at the craziness of his life, balance totally thrown by the whiplash he'd just gotten.

Tatsuma waited like he was one of the calm Buddhist statues of his sect, like he had all the time in the world for Rin to get a grip.

Oh god, what even was his life?

"Yeah, er- Mr. Suguro, this is Amaimon, King of Earth, my boyfriend, um, though I guess for when he's here he's going as Ambrosia, since it's easier for everyone? And Amaimon, this is Tatsuma Suguro, Bon's dad," Rin stumbled through the introduction, trying to figure out what a formal introduction was supposed to look like anyway, and mind going back to the relatively simple one he'd given when he'd first introduced Ambrosia to everyone at the festival so long ago.

"It's a pleasure, Amaimon, welcome to my home," Tatsuma said before Rin could work himself up anymore.

Amaimon cocked his head, staring down his nose at the casual smile Tatsuma wore before making a short sound and nodding. "Tatsuma."

Surreal. Rin tried not to let on how weird seeing these two particular people in his life interact was, hurrying to follow after Tatsuma as they were led to their room.

A low sound of activity droned, muffled as it reached Rin through the walls of the inn. He'd just tossed his bag down by the futon when a thought occurred to him and he glanced back at Tatsuma, hesitant.

"Um, where's Bon? He got here with Shima and Konekomaru earlier than us, right?"

"They're all helping out with the preparations, come on, if you're ready I'll take ya to see them now," Tatsuma said, waving to guide them down another hall. Rin really hoped Amaimon was taking notes because the inn was a maze and he could already feel himself forgetting which turns they'd taken.

The noise of the inn grew louder.

Before Rin could think, Tatsuma slid open a door and chaos met Rin's senses.

Movement came from all corners, kids shouting and running underfoot, adults calling out directions to each other. A hive of activity.

Heat from Amaimon looming over behind him had Rin exhaling a long breath through his nose and stepping into the room.

"I brought more help!" Tatsuma called, voice booming over the crowd and getting cheers from several people Rin didn't recognize and from the kids, excited to see him, Rin guessed.

"Rin! Over here!" Shiemi's voice cut through the din, Rin smiled and started over to her where he saw her leaning from another open door where the scent of food let him know the kitchen was. Amaimon shadowed him across the room while Tatsuma led them, stopping briefly to exchange words with various people rushing around.

It was kinda nice, actually, Rin decided as he got into the energy of things. Now that he'd overcome his initial shock, he found himself feeling the excitement of the festivities overtake the anxiety the crowd at the train station had caused.

And was that Shima's brother- the blonde guy from the bus- pounding mochi with a hammer in the corner over there? Rin wondered if he'd get a chance at it later

This crowd, full of family members all chattering excitedly and exuding a hectic joy was different, better.

They made it to the kitchen and Rin was confronted with his friends and Yukio again.

"Here, Rin, Ambrosia," Shiemi cut in before the silence his arrival brought got awkward.

Rin sent her a grateful smile and moved to the seat next to her, accepting Kuro when he jumped to his lap, then looked around at the table. "Hey, guys, er, what are we supposed to be doing?"

"We're shaping the mochi cakes, Rin, it's pretty fun, and I know how to make a mean oroshi mochi meal!" Tatsuma answered, squeezing in beside Bon, who'd frozen over the mochi in his hands.

Amaimon sat next to Rin, already reaching out to spear a section of the warm rice dough with a claw and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hey! That's for the wedding dinner tomorrow, don't eat all of it," Bon broke from his stupor to snap when Amaimon reached for another.

"Now, now, Ryuji, with the rate they're pounding the rice out there, I'd say one or two going missing won't be noticed," Tatsuma said before Amaimon could growl at the reprimand.

But, with a nudge from Rin, he calmed, leaning into his shoulder and looking bored again.

"They'll taste better when they're finished, Ambrosia," Rin added, already beginning to shape his own.

"Rin." At Konekomaru's soft voice, Rin looked up, stilling and waiting for what he would say- hoping it wasn't about that night, that they could just pretend for the wedding that things were fine.

Konekomaru smiled, eyes kind. "I'm glad you could make it, Rin."

Those eyes turned to Amaimon. " Ah-! And you too, Ambrosia."

Leave it to Konekomaru. Rin sent him a wide smile, about to start asking how everyone's breaks had gone.

"Oh no," Shima interrupted, groaning over his own mochi and hanging his head.

"What now?" Izumo huffed after she'd given her own acknowledging nod to Amaimon and received one in turn, their way of communicating that Rin didn't get but which seemed enough for them.

"You guys," Shima gestured to a blank-faced Amaimon, hand flapping in a limp wave to indicate all of him, "Ambrosia, you guys."

"Yeah, what about Ambrosia?" Bon sighed, playing along.

"Kinzo!" Shima said in exclamation as if that meant anything to Rin.

But it seemed to mean something to Bon and Konekomaru who both jerked wide-eyed looks at Amaimon as if just seeing him for the first time.

"He's a dead man walking," Konekomaru said, voice awed as if in dawning horror.

"He- he wouldn't, he knows who he really is," Bon tried, gaze jerking to Shima and Konekomaru as if to convince himself of what he was saying.

"Okay, idiots, what are you getting excited about?" Izumo said, growling before Rin could do the same or, worse, Amaimon could.

Shima slumped into his seat, head coming down to thunk on the table a few times before his muttered response came out.

"My dumb older brother is gonna take one look at Ambrosia all dolled up at the wedding and he's gonna hit on her and then he's gonna die."

A breath huffed from Amaimon's parted lips as he went back to ignoring the conversation while Rin thought about adding another of the Shima clan to his list of people to murder if they kept hitting on Amaimon.

"We're just lucky he hasn't seen her yet," Shima whimpered, gaze coming up to search the room as if waiting for his brother to jump out at any moment.

"Surely he won't- I mean, he's... exuberant, but I didn't think he even liked demons," Yukio spoke up, drawing everyone's attention as he joined in.

"Oh, Teach'," Shima said, shaking his head at the naive optimism, "you got eyes, right? Four of 'em, even. We all know Ambrosia's the hottest thing on two legs- sorry, Izumo- and my brother's not blind and also really dumb."

"Hey!" Rin and Izumo yelped out, both glaring at Shima for different but very similar reasons.

Shiemi giggled nervously, the only one still focused on their task.

"Alright, alright, these mochi aren't going to make themselves," Tatsuma said to settle everyone down before Izumo and Rin could launch themselves across the table to attack Shima.

The rest of the preparation passed much more comfortably, the ice broken by the mutual irritation at Shima and further when his younger sister came to hang off a patient Konekomaru. The family resemblance had never been stronger, Rin thought with a wry smile at Konekomaru fending off advances with what looked like years of experience.

And, even more thankfully, besides a blush when Rin and, particularly, Amaimon had been introduced, Shima's sister went back to fawning over Konekomaru.

Then came dinner, the warmth from so many bodies sat at the long tables of the communal dining hall of the inn meaning Amaimon had vanished his coat and lounged next to Rin in a new cozy sweater Mephisto had chosen for him after the untimely destruction of the last one.

Rin would miss that black sweater with the little deer tail on the back. He and Mephisto both had mourned its loss, even after Mephisto had summoned several others he'd gotten specifically for Amaimon.

Now, with his hair in a messy bun, maroon sweater sleeves ending over his palms, black skirt and green leggings completing the look, Amaimon drew eyes where he sat with utter disregard for anyone in the room besides Rin and the food in front of him.

And Rin kept on the lookout for any Shima that seemed like they might get too familiar with Amaimon.

Though, he shot a look over at the blonde guy, the loud one who was already drunk, then looked at Shima and realized he knew exactly which sibling he'd be keeping an eye on.

Thankfully the arrival of Mamushi, the guest of honor and bride to be, allowed Rin to relax further now that he didn't feel like the entire room was staring at he and Amaimon.

Bon still couldn't seem to maintain eye contact with Rin, glancing away every time Rin tried to get his attention and only replying to him when he asked direct questions.

He was acting weird, and Rin couldn't tell if it was because of that night or whatever had been bugging him before the party. With everything that had happened, Rin had almost forgotten how strange Bon had been before.

It all came back to him. The days before the Christmas party when he'd seen Bon standing in the rain and watching their group as if stunned. Rin hadn't asked him about it then, had only noticed him because he smelled like Lightn- like him.

Rin didn't think he would be asking Bon about it any time soon, hoping it would resolve itself so he didn't have to think about the fact that Bon was no longer an apprentice because of-

No, Rin shook his head, it wasn't his fault, wasn't either of their faults, that things had happened like they had. Now he just needed to get Bon to realize that so they could go back to being friends.

Kuro pawing at his arm took him from those thoughts as he fed the little familiar his portion and went back to the conversation, feeling Amaimon as a steady presence beside him- one that occasionally stole from his plate.

Then they began readying for the New Year's Eve excursion at the Inari temple nearby.

Another series of chaotic movements happened as everyone cleared their area and got their jackets to brave the winter air.

It was…

It was fun.

Shiemi stayed to one side of him, Amaimon the other, while Bon led them through the massive wooden shrine gate.

He blamed it on the excitement thrumming in his veins- a mixture of half-anxiety while he waited for the panic to come without his control and half genuine happiness at having a normal night with his friends- for why it took him so long to realize he was being guarded.

Glancing around, a wry smile twitched at Rin's lips as he saw the way Bon's loud presence moved people out of their group's way, Shima and Koneko taking up either side of him to prevent anyone from sidling through, and Yukio taking up the rear when they eventually got stopped up by the number of people making traffic jams.

Warmth that had nothing to do with the press of the crowd or the hot drinks they got while they watched the fireworks and everything to do with his friends curled a soft hand around Rin's heart.

Inhaling where he'd pressed his nose to Amaimon's neck completed the setting as he basked in his scent. Though, something was missing. Rin looked at the stars through the fireworks and squeezed the hand not holding Amaimon's, wishing another hand squeezed back and wondering how Mephisto's new year was going.

Wait.

"Amaimon," Rin held up his phone, smiling, "say cheese!"

"What."

Rin snorted at the confused look on Amaimon's face in the photo, lips parted mid-question and eyebrows furrowed.

He sent the picture.

"Alright! Show's over, everyone back to the inn!" Shima's brother shouted over the crowd

They filed through the hordes of people, eventually making it home to the relative quiet of the inn. Rin said his goodnights to his friends, Kuro and Yukio, waving them off to their own rooms.

About to see if Amaimon remembered the way back to their own room, Rin halted when he instead motioned with his head behind them and crossed his arms in a watchful posture.

"Hey, Rin, can we talk for a sec?"

Bon stood, looking nervous, unsure, like he hadn't since Shima had been revealed as a spy. His gaze flicked to Amaimon and Rin almost thought he would ask him to leave, getting ready to defend him if that was the case.

"I just," Bon sucked in a long breath through his nose, squaring his shoulders and meeting Rin's eyes, "I wanted to say sorry- for that night."

Before Rin could stop him or think about how to get Bon off the current subject, a stream of words erupted from him as he pushed past the hesitancy.

"I shouldn't of shoved all that stuff on you right away, I just panicked and didn't know how to act and I got scared- and I _always_ shove my foot into things I shouldn't, and maybe that's fine normally, but- dammit, not this time, not when you needed us to help and not just us coming at you like that so-"

A harsh exhale as Bon cut himself off with a shake of his head, "- so I'm sorry, Rin."

Rin stared, stunned, as Bon bowed his head, hands coming up like he was asking for forgiveness, as if waiting for judgment. What judgment could he even give him?

Then Rin noticed the healing burn mark on one of Bon's hands and guilt swam uncomfortable circles in his gut.

"Bon, you- your hand," Rin whispered, unable to take his eyes off the mark that would no doubt scar. He'd put that there. Had lashed out just because his friend had touched him, had been trying to help, in his own blunt way. The guilt writhed inside him until Rin pressed a hand at his stomach like he could banish it through force of will.

"What?" Bon jerked his head up, eyes wide in disbelief and mouth torn in a scowl, "this? If this is the worst I get for acting like an ass then that's fine with me, Rin."

The self-directed rage appeared back on Bon's face and he clenched his fists at his sides, growling. "I just- I hated feeling useless and I know Miss Kirigakure told us you were back safe and Mr. Okumura talked to us too, but in my head you were still gone and it was _my_ fault for not seeing it sooner- seeing that he was _like that_."

He.

Lightning.

His breath froze in his lungs, realizing which "he" Bon was talking about.

A soft growl from Amaimon reached him and jolted his heartrate back up, cold sweat breaking on his skin.

But it wasn't from fear.

"Stop talking," Rin hissed, stalking into Bon's space and glaring up into his startled expression, "listen to me."

"O-okay, Rin," Bon said, weak in the face of Rin's anger.

"Neither of us is to blame, dammit! Not you, not me- not for missing something like that. No one saw it coming, not Shura, and not even Mephisto." Rin flung his hand back to gesture at a silent Amaimon, "we both _hated_ him, but he still planned that right under our noses."

"Lemme ask you something," Rin continued, narrowing his gaze, "you were his apprentice, did you learn from him? And what about that investigation you guys were working on? It was worth it for you to keep at it so hard, right?"

Bon looked at him, utterly lost, mouth open and pupils flicking like he searched for an answer. "I don't- I don't kno-"

"Yes, you do," Rin stopped him with a firm growl, lips pressed together as he dared Bon to try to act like he hadn't learned from one of the strongest exorcists in the Order and _excelled_ at it.

His unwavering words broke through Bon's uncertainty.

"Yeah, I did, I learned a lot," he said in a tight gasp, as if admitting to himself what he'd been unable to up until that moment, "and our investigation was _important_\- still is- and I don't want to give up on it!"

"Good," Rin nodded, crossing his arms, "don't let him ruin that for you."

Silence met his command, Bon once more reduced to speechless wonderment.

He had to swallow before speaking to Rin again, words shivering out of him, "strong, you're so strong, Rin."

"Nah, I'm just stubborn," Rin said and smirked at the disbelief his carefree response garnered.

A shaky smile worked its way to cover Bon's face that Rin met, tempering his sharp grin to a softer one as he sensed the change in mood.

"Thanks, Rin, for everything," Bon said, then sighed, rubbing at the back of his head, "though I'm not sure how this turned into making me feel better."

"Hah, yeah, well, I knew it would be bugging you, so," Rin trailed off, shrugging and stepping back towards Amaimon.

"I'll let you guys get to sleep, then," Bon said and turned to leave after a nod to Amaimon, then paused, chewing at his lip.

"What's up?" Rin asked.

"Listen, I know I went about it the shittiest way possible, but," Bon sucked in a steadying breath, "I really do think it would be good to check out those facilities I found."

At Rin's drawn brows he hurried to continue, "you wouldn't have to leave! And you could even bring Amaimon or Kuro if you wanted to!"

Bon pleading with Rin- an earnest desire to help him that Rin could see now that his mind wasn't overwhelmed with panic- had a crooked smile forming on his lips.

"Yeah, okay, Bon, I'll check them out."

His agreement brought relief to Bon's tight features, a tension he'd been holding fading.

This time, the goodnights were final, Rin tailing after a still quiet Amaimon and going through the motions of getting ready for bed without saying a word.

It wasn't until they'd settled under the soft duvet cover that Amaimon spoke.

"He was right."

Rin blinked into the dark room, tilting his head to look into gold eyes while he waited for Amaimon to work out what he wanted to say.

Lips brushed his shoulder, Amaimon murmuring the rest of his sentence there.

"You are strong."

That was- a lump formed in his throat, eyes prickling with tears that he hid under Amaimon's chin where he'd ducked his head.

"Thank you, Amaimon," Rin whispered against his collarbone, "I'm glad you came with me tonight."

A presence appeared in the room with them.

Jerking around, Rin's heart jolted in his chest and a wide smile stretched over his cheeks.

"Mephisto!"

He was out from the covers before he could think, wrapping Mephisto in a hug and laughing when he returned his embrace.

"Happy New Year, Rin," Mephisto said from where he'd pressed his nose to Rin's hair, following him down to the futon to join Amaimon.

Now, his night was complete.

Or so he'd thought.

Amaimon hummed, nosing at the underside of his jaw and nipping with sharp fangs, not in the mood to end the night just yet, apparently.

"Ah- Amaimon," Rin gasped, wiggling where he'd been caught in possessive arms.

Clawed fingers traced along his jaw before moving to caress Amaimon next, Mephisto tilting him away from Rin. "Really, Amaimon, these walls are paper-thin, quite literally, in this case."

"Oh god, you're right," Rin said as he felt a blush rise on his cheeks when he took in the rice-paper walls of the traditional inn and considered how loud they got during their usual play, "there's no way we can do anything in Bon's family's home, I'll never live it down."

What if one of Bon's family heard? Or worse, Rin shuddered, one of Shima's, or Shima himself.

"And don't say who cares, Amaimon," he hissed lowly, already seeing the words forming on the now pouting lips directed at him from Amaimon.

"Boring," Amaimon sniffed, curling to duck his head out of Mephisto's grasp and sending them both a baleful glare, "when you _really_ want to play tomorrow I'm going to remember this."

Tomorrow? Rin shared a glance with Mephisto as he tried to remember why he would want to play the next day any more than they did any particular day.

Then it hit him.

"Oh, come on, Amaimon, that's cruel," he said, nearly whining at the thought of getting denied when Ambrosia entered the field.

"Another wager, Amaimon?" The blithe question from Mephisto had Rin focusing on his green eyes gleaming in the dark down into Amaimon's sullen ones.

"What?" Amaimon said, still a bit waspish at being denied.

"Between you and Rin, of course," Mephisto began, tilting his head so that his bangs fell to the side where he'd propped his cheek to his knuckles while a smile scrawled its way over his face.

Now Rin was curious.

"Whichever of you can't resist the other by the end of the night is the loser," Mephisto accentuated his words with a slide of his hand down Amaimon's flank, resting at his hip and tapping his fingers in a slow pattern.

Rin tracked the rhythm with rapt attention.

"You'll seduce each other in plain sight of all those wedding guests without getting caught."

His breath halted, gaze pulled to Amaimon to see what he made of Mephisto's wager.

"Well?" Mephisto drawled when neither of his stunned audience answered him, "this should be a simple thing for you two imps, given the way you behaved right in front of your little friends when you thought to tease me."

A sharp gasp escaped Amaimon's lips when Mephisto dove down to growl into his ear, "I'm still _owed my_ _due_ for that, Amaimon."

Something flared in Rin, instincts drawn to the surface at the guttural sound from Mephisto and the way Amaimon arched his neck in automatic offering.

He leant over so that Mephisto could see the flames twisting hypnotic patterns in his eyes, casting dark shadows on his face and highlighting the slivered pupils.

"Yes," Rin let the word hiss out, "but only if you'll be there. _Watching_."

Amaimon shook beneath them, and Rin could feel him fighting to keep silent.

It made him break from the staring contest he'd entered with Mephisto to graze his fangs at Amaimon's throat, heading up to his ear so he could speak.

"How about it, _Ambrosia_?"

One moment. Another.

The trembling in Amaimon's body stopped, an unnatural stillness taking over along with the toothy grin now stretching his lips to bare extended fangs.

"Hm, okay, I accept," Amaimon said, a careless shrug shifting the blanket as he settled, the earlier arousal hidden away like it had never existed.

"Good," Rin pressed the word to his cheek, purr rising in anticipation of the next day.

"I always did like weddings," Mephisto hummed, wicked delight staining his tone, though he joined them in containing himself for the night.

If this was how weddings usually went when Mephisto attended them, Rin had a feeling he knew why.

Sleep came easily, despite the excitement, his exhaustion catching up to him after the chaos he'd endured.

Dreamless, Rin curled around Amaimon, drifting amongst their mingled scents.

"It's truly a shame I can't stay to to apply your make-up and help you into your dress," Mephisto said with an exaggerated sigh while Rin and Amaimon got ready for the day.

Amaimon cocked a head back at him, unpitying, "it's your fault for pandering to the humans, you could be here with us instead."

Rin thought about the reactions a reveal like that would get from his friends and Yukio. Strangely, the concept of their potential horror and rejection didn't sting as much, something that may have had to do with hearing the word "love" from Mephisto's lips.

His silence in the matter didn't go unnoticed, two appraising looks sent at him that he met without flinching.

"Just thinking, don't worry about it," he waved off.

"Hm," Mephisto said, non-committal as he leaned back to the wall and crossed his arms, "I had given it some thought, and, of course, hinging on whether everything goes according to my new plans, we all survive the coming storm, well-"

New plans, huh. Rin shared an exasperated glance with Amaimon but focused back on Mephisto when he continued.

"-Well, it will hardly matter in a century who I, Amaimon, or you associate with."

"A _century_?" Rin blurted out, "I was thinking after I graduated or something."

That got him another careful stare from Mephisto, Rin's words straightening his shoulders and making him draw up from the relaxed pose he'd been in.

"When I planned for that I had taken into account your concerns for the opinions of your brother and your friends, Rin," came the slow explanation.

"What?" Rin blinked at the consideration he hadn't realized Mephisto cared enough to include in his planning. "No, I was just worried about, like, that whole, your position as my headmaster and guardian stuff- and the Grigori, won't they have something to say about all this?"

"Hah!" Amaimon snickered, "you're both stupid, who cares what any of them think, they'll be gone in under a century anyway and their opinions mean nothing."

The typical lack of care about the opinions of mere mortals from Amaimon got a wry grin out of Rin, "I mean, I definitely prefer my friends being cool with it- but yeah, you're right, it doesn't matter if they don't approve. It's not their relationship."

"Unbelievable." Mephisto groaned, eyes rolling as he tilted his head back with a huff, "this whole time I've been making an effort to consider your feelings in this matter when I never needed to at all."

Now Rin joined Amaimon in snickering at Mephisto, "well, I still appreciate the effort to consider my feelings so don't feel too bad."

"I'll need to think about this." Mephisto was already mumbling to himself, sight inward as, apparently, Rin not being worried about his friends' input into his personal relationships had given him new information to work into his plans.

Steps down the hall interrupted them, Mephisto blinking and coming back to the room.

"I'll leave you two to your day, then," he said, leaving a quick parting kiss for each before raising a hand to snap himself away. Then Mephisto paused, favoring them with a sly smile, "and of course, I'll see you both later tonight~"

He vanished before they could say anything just as a knock came to their door.

"Hey, Rin, I came to get you guys for breakfast."

Sharing a look full of anticipation, Rin went to answer Konekomaru, Amaimon falling into place beside him as they began the inner countdown to the end of the day.

Although…

Rin let his hand trail down Amaimon's spine, a light touch along where his tail coiled before dropping away and ignoring the sharp glance Amaimon darted at him to keep talking with Konekomaru.

There was no good reason they couldn't start things off early.

By the wicked tilt of Amaimon's lips, he agreed.

Amaimon let the tip of his tongue trace around the pink edge of the sucker he worked at.

Rin reached to grab something from the other side of Amaimon, his claws scraping at the back of his neck as if he'd done it on accident.

Amaimon draped his arms down his shoulders, breath puffing out to tease the strands of Rin's hair and ghost across his ear as he sat behind him where their group had chosen to relax.

Rin toyed with Amaimon's claws in an absent caress of his fingertips to his knuckles and the delicate skin there while he chatted with Shiemi.

Amaimon pressed a bite of dessert from their lunch to Rin's lips for him to try.

Rin accepted, but not before letting his tongue catch Amaimon's finger an instant before he pulled back.

Kuro shot both of them a dirty glare, escaping from Yukio's lap to another room with an exasperated huff of breath and a grumbled comment to himself about not believing how oblivious humans were.

And the day was only half over. Rin smiled slightly wider than was probably necessary at some joke Shima cracked, already planning his next move.

Maybe he should have told Mephisto to shadow them for longer than just that night.

A last brush of his comb through his hair to neaten things, a tug at the bottom of his suit jacket to straighten everything out, and Rin finished his preparations.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, remembering how the first time he'd tried a suit on that Mephisto had given him had made him blush, having never seen himself dressed in anything but hand-me-down suits or baggy casual wear before.

Now, seeing the lines of the perfectly fitted suit layering on his body just made him smile, eyeing the deep green fabric- so dark it was almost black except in the right light- that Mephisto had chosen for this night.

Black claws trailed over his chest and down his tapered waist to settle at his hips, a warm body pressing at his back and a purr rumbling where Amaimon clung to him brought Rin's eyes up to meet the gold ones over his shoulder.

"This is familiar."

Rin's lips twitched, brushing their cheeks together and enjoying the way they looked in the mirror. "I was just thinking the same thing, actually."

Amaimon hummed, hand moving to Rin's, each movement deliberate and neither breaking gazes as Amaimon directed his captured hand to the velvet folds of his rich green dress where it parted over his leg.

"Are you seduced yet?" Amaimon murmured, voice as dark as his dress as he dragged Rin's palm up to the dip of his inner thigh, leaving it there while heat built through the thick fabric keeping their skin from meeting.

"I think I had to sit through a boring lesson about resisting demonic seduction," Rin said instead, not giving into his urge to press harder, to move the last inch to where Amaimon would prefer to have him touch.

"Hmf, they should have used you as an example," Amaimon scoffed, releasing Rin from his grasp and crossing his arms.

"That would have been a fun way to let everyone know I was a demon," Rin said with a laugh as he turned, running his gaze over Amaimon's lithe figure.

Yep, he would be putting every vague lesson he'd left that class with into use, he could already tell.

"You ready, Ambrosia?"

When he held out his arm, Amaimon accepted, heading from the room to join the rest of Rin's friends before they'd go to the venue.

"Oh man, forget Kinzo, _I'm_ gonna die tonight," Shima moaned the second he caught sight of Ambrosia, paying particular attention to the slit parting just above one toned leg where he ran a hungry gaze.

"Find your own date, Shima," Rin growled and stepped a little more in front of Amaimon.

"Could you cool it for one night, Shima?" Bon asked, the question rhetorical because everyone in their group knew it wasn't going to happen. Though Rin would be watching him too because there was a suspicious blush on his face and he couldn't quite look at Amaimon, either.

Shiemi, recovering from the Ambrosia whammy next, smiled at Rin from where she stood next to Yukio in her own formal kimono. "You both look so nice!"

"Thanks, Shiemi, you look great too!" Rin said as he moved on from pinning Shima with a threatening glare. He grinned at Izumo, who'd decided to go for a more modern, short black dress with pearls wrapped around her neck, "and you too, Izumo."

A flush on Izumo's face spoke to how she really felt as she grumbled a thanks in return.

"Is that the gift Sir Pheles bought you, Rin?"

The hesitant question from Yukio had Rin wondering at the consequences of just dropping the truth on them to see what would happen, but his self-control won out over the impulse as he nodded.

"Yeah, he wanted something to go with Ambrosia's dress for the wedding and got it ahead of time- you know, since he already knew about the thing and figured I'd get invited, I guess."

"I wish somebody would buy me a custom-made dress just because," Izumo muttered.

"Hey, everyone's filing in, we should find our seats- ah, though do you mind hanging back for a bit, Suguro? I have a question for you," Yukio prompted, the request for Bon to stay behind bringing a frown to Rin's face as he saw the mask of an expression Yukio wore.

But there wasn't anything he could do about it, following the group in and getting situated.

Then it was only the wedding party that had to come in, Yukio, and Bon.

"How long does this one last," Amaimon sighed where he lounged, bored gaze scanning the crowd, "human ceremonies get so confusing."

"I don't know, I've never been to one before, I kinda never thought about it," Rin said, hoping it wasn't too long because he hated sitting still for the hour-long lectures, let alone something that lasted more than that.

"Wait, human ceremonies?" Rin blinked as the words registered, turning to Amaimon, who raised a brow as he waited for clarification, "does that mean there's demon ceremonies?"

Now he had Shiemi, Izumo and Konekomaru's attention, Shima having been called to join the rest of the wedding party.

Amaimon's look of puzzlement as he processed Rin's question had Rin about to re-word it, thinking maybe it didn't translate well into a demonic equivalent.

"Of course they don't have wedding ceremonies, Rin, what kind of marriage contract would even work? They live forever," Izumo said as if it were obvious.

"She's right, Rin, it just wouldn't make sense from a contractual standpoint, especially when most demons aren't monogamous and a human court won't recognize those relationships- for tax purposes," Konekomaru added.

"Oh no! So you won't be able to get married?" Shiemi looked incredibly distraught, like she'd been planning the wedding herself only to find out it had been canceled.

Not quite what he had asked but Rin could see his question wasn't quite resonating so he started to wave it off.

"I claimed you, you're mine forever," Amaimon broke in, growling and halting them from saying anything else with a firm clack of his fangs as he glowered at Rin. Like Rin could forget that important detail.

The demonic claim. Rin let his second sight take over, seeing the glow of energy, the bond between them strong in his mind's eye.

Then it hit him.

"You mean we've been demon married this whole time?" Rin whispered hoarsely, though what he really wanted to do was shriek at the realization.

Izumo snorted, laughter bubbling up soon after at Rin's shock. "Wow, Rin, way to go missing that memo."

"I guess we should congratulate you tonight, too, huh, Rin," Konekomaru said with his own laugh while Shiemi beamed at them with a pleased blush on her face as, apparently, the wedding was back on.

Rin didn't know what to do with that information. Well, he knew what he wanted to do was go show Amaimon _exactly_ how happy he was, and then maybe find Mephisto and show him, too.

Unfortunately, the only thing he could do amongst so many people was bring Amaimon's hand to his mouth and press a hard kiss there, pinning his gaze to the gold eyes and hoping he understood.

By the softening of the irritation from Amaimon, Rin thought he did.

Movement to the side brought Rin away from Amaimon, though he kept their hands clasped, looking up to see a strangely subdued Bon and Yukio taking their seats with mumbled apologies.

He didn't have time to ask them what had happened before the ceremony began.

Seeing Mamushi in her traditional kimono walking down the aisle, hearing the happy, overly emotional sobs from the wedding party- not that Shima joined in, seemingly embarrassed by his family- made Rin wonder what sort of wedding, if any, a demon would prefer.

Of course, that all depended on whether Mephisto was feeling cheap that day or wanted to go all out like he did for his festivals- and whether Amaimon would even see the point of one. Thinking it over, Rin decided he would be okay with whatever they chose. Or, if they felt that the claim was good enough for them, as long as he had them and they him, it was enough.

A golden warmth filled his chest, coming out as a smile that he turned to press to Amaimon's hair, inhaling there and closing his eyes.

Then the ceremony was over.

Rin let his lips curl in a wide grin he knew Amaimon could feel, if the tension in his arms meant anything. A different sort of heat started to rise.

"He's here, Amaimon," Rin said, voice teasing, low, so that only Amaimon could pick it up over the laughter and chatter from the rest of the guests. He trailed a finger along the thin strap on Amaimon's shoulder, picking at it and letting the point of his claw scrape at the skin beneath.

Dark eyes glowed beneath the kohl that ringed them, making it seem as if the eyes belong to some big cat peering from the gloom as it hunted prey.

The presence they both sensed told them the real game had just begun.

Amaimon sniffed as if he didn't care, adopting a facade of apathy and boredom that he directed at the room, ignoring Rin. "When do we eat, this took too long."

That game, huh? Rin's eyes shuttered as his mouth curved in an absent smile. Then he shifted to hover at Amaimon's side, a shadow there while flames built under his skin so that Amaimon could feel it like a heavy mantle.

"I'm pretty sure they have a few last-minute things to do. Why?" He leaned in to speak into a pointed ear, fangs just a suggestion of a touch, "you got somewhere better to be?"

Cheers as the bride and groom kissed stopped Amaimon from answering, Rin joining in clapping for the couple and as they headed back down the aisle. He stood with everyone else, hand at Amaimon's arm to bring him up as they moved with the crowd to the reception hall. Not that he needed the help from Rin.

But it gave him the perfect excuse to wrap his hand around Amaimon's waist as if guiding him, settling his fingers to his hips and rubbing in slow circles. That his fingertips happened to have heat concentrated in the tips of them so that Amaimon would feel it like a brand to his skin even beneath the velvet dress was just the next step in their game.

Still, Amaimon ignored him, walking at his side like a living stone with a placid gaze that skimmed over the people in front of them as if they weren't even there.

Good. Rin didn't want things to be over too soon.

He led Amaimon to their table next to the rest of his friends, even pulling the seat out so that Amaimon could sit, graceful and poised and spine arched so that Rin could imagine running claws down over the exposed shoulder blades revealed by the low-backed dress.

"Rin, you're not gonna sit?" Konekomaru asked, eyes blinking up at Rin behind his glasses and totally innocent to the display Amaimon put on.

"Nah," Rin lay his palm, heat just shy of searing, to the bare skin of Amaimon's neck, a loose clasp that nonetheless reddened beneath his touch and sent an abrupt shiver that Amaimon got under control before anyone could see. But Rin had felt it. He smiled.

"I'm gonna go get some drinks for us, I'll be back."

Did they see that he had his black claws out? Had they noticed the way he'd grazed them to the back of Amaimon's neck as he pulled away? With how Shiemi had begun a pleasant conversation the rest joined in on, Rin didn't think so.

There was only one set of eyes he wanted on them, anyway.

Picking the most sugar-filled drink on the menu for Amaimon and a generic drink for himself, Rin waded back through the crowd.

"Holy shit! Renzo! You didn't tell me what a total babe your classmate is!"

He saw red.

"Uh, Kinzo, man, no, that's not my classmate, that's- oh man, erm."

A blonde head leaned too close, bent over a dangerously lax body as Amaimon stared up at Kinzo. Shima's weak attempts to bring his brother away went ignored.

Then that blonde bastard put a hand on Amaimon's shoulder.

Rin's fist clenched.

Amaimon hid a smirk at the sound of shattering glass behind a cool expression as he looked up into the inebriated worm's eyes.

Not, of course, that any of the humans, Rin's included, heard it over the other sounds in the room, their senses too dulled- in general and by the distraction currently absorbing their attention.

How any of them survived with such limited forms was beyond him.

The worm's hand was still on his shoulder. Amaimon saw the way the twin and Bon flinched as if waiting for him to strike in retribution. Which was a fair assessment in a normal situation.

But not this night. Not when Amaimon had a wager to win.

"Renzo, I can't believe you didn't introduce me to- to, what's 'ur name?"

Oh. Amaimon gave a slow blink when the words registered. The worm was addressing him, now. Did he have to respond? Surely someone would drag the annoyance away before-

Ah. He smiled up into the fearful gaze that now turned, pinned to the presence that had just appeared at Amaimon's back.

Fire, barely hidden beneath human form, blanketed his body in an oppressive wave of concealed power and caressed along his spine like a hand. Like a claim.

The purr that wanted to come out at feeling it stayed dormant as he waited for events to unfold.

"Hey, Ambrosia, here's your drink." Rin spoke with a deep rumble where he leaned to set something that smelled wonderfully sweet when Amaimon sniffed the air down with a dull click to the thin, tablecloth covered surface.

"Wha-" the human's response was slow and Amaimon could see the way his vision blurred when he tried to focus his glassy eyes on Rin.

Amaimon didn't have to look to know Rin would have a grin with a few too many teeth, sharper and more numerous than any human mouth could possibly hold.

And his hand had come up to grip the one on Amaimon.

"Shima's brother, right?" Rin continued, tone casual, polite, amicable.

Flames pressed harder to him. By the wince of the human's face and pallor when the color drained from his flushed cheeks, Amaimon would say he felt them too. The urge to bare his own fangs in a smile was strong, but Amaimon resisted.

"I don't think we ever actually got introduced last time I was here. Rin Okumura," Rin paused. His grip tightened on the human's hand. "Satan Spawn."

"And this-" Rin brought his other hand up to Amaimon's shoulder, covering where the foreign touch had been. The tips of his claws needled there, one soft press away from breaking skin.

"-This is my boyfriend, Amaimon, Demon King of Earth and Seventh in Gehenna under Satan, though for the wedding he's going as Ambrosia."

Rin shook the worm's limp hand. "Good to meet you."

The worm whimpered, frozen, trapped in their sights like the prey he was.

Around them, the rest of Rin's humans couldn't seem to decide if they would intervene or not and Amaimon could hear the rabbit-beat of their hearts in their chests.

Except for one.

"Ah, Rin, what happened to your hand?" Shiemi asked with a worried frown on her face.

Amaimon tilted his head to the side to consider the blood from already healed cuts making lines on Rin's knuckles. Genuine obliviousness? He narrowed his eyes at how Shiemi managed to defuse the stand-off without even realizing what she'd done and didn't know if he was happy about it or not.

Their game would just have to move to the next stage. He hid another sigh as Rin suppressed his flames again and released the worm so that he could stumble back into the spy.

"Nothing big, just accidentally broke a bottle on the way over here," Rin said with a laugh and a wave of his bloodied hand.

"I gotta go clean this, I'll be back in a bit." Rin turned to leave again.

Now, a smile stole across Amaimon's face as he tracked Rin through the crowd. He thought he would clean himself away from the table, hm? When Amaimon was right there and fully capable of taking care of the mess without any signs?

An opportunity had presented itself to Amaimon- or, more than that, an _invitation_.

He stood and followed the trail, ignoring the confused question from Shiemi to hunt after Rin.

"I think I almost just died," came the whimpered words from the worm as Amaimon left them behind.

"Dumbass, we told you they were going to be here!"

Bon's chiding was the last thing Amaimon heard before he stopped listening, heading from the hall in a deliberate pace and feeling the dark presence of Samael dogging at his heels.

Pushing the door to the bathroom open brought him to the end of the trail where he found Rin leaning against the sink, idly checking the blood staining the creases of his hands and his claws reflecting the dull amber light over them.

"Amaimon." His name from that sweet mouth had Amaimon purring, moving in the last few steps to clasp Rin's wrist and elbow with his hands and bring his tongue to follow the lines of red like he was mapping a river.

"I think soap and water would have done the job," Rin spoke, his words saying one thing while his body- his eyes- told an entirely different story.

Flame-warped pupils danced a hypnotic flicker where they locked with Amaimon's.

Possessive.

Amaimon considered thanking the worm for giving him such an unfair advantage in their game. He'd wondered if any of the humans at the party would be foolish enough to approach him like that, would step on Rin's possessive instincts in such a blatant way.

Although, just the thought of a human touching Rin, of infringing on Amaimon's claim, had his fangs dropping to graze the sensitive skin between Rin's fingers.

He would have to keep watch on Rin to be sure no one attempted it tonight, the exact reason he'd joined Samael's school in the first place.

"Pretty sure you got it all, Amaimon," Rin said while a low growl tumbled from his lips and his claws twitched at each caress of Amaimon's tongue.

Would he break? Amaimon shivered in anticipation, sucking at one of those fingers and nipping the pad of it until he tasted fresh blood.

The warm palm Rin pressed to his face had him stilling except for his teasing motions, waiting.

Rin took a step, then another, another.

His lips brushed Amaimon's ear, breath stirring the strands of hair there and pulling a shiver from his body at the heat filling the small room, stifling in the intoxicating aura Rin enveloped him with.

"Come on, I don't want your drink getting warm, let's head back, Amaimon."

Heat vanished as if sucked out into a vacuum and Rin took his finger from Amaimon's mouth with a slice of his claw, already heading to the door.

Dammit. Amaimon snarled inwardly, irritated his ploy hadn't worked, and tasting nothing but his own blood where Rin had cut.

What was worse was that he could practically _hear_ the gleeful cackles from Samael for his failed round.

At least he could spend the walk to the table staring at the being that was Rin, power incarnate wrapped in a pretty mortal package and wearing a suit Amaimon couldn't wait to peel him out of later.

Well, he would prefer to tear it to shreds but the last time he'd destroyed one of Samael's suits he'd been locked up for what felt like an eternity until he'd been deemed properly chastised.

He bit at a claw, thinking.

Rin had him at an advantage, with his flames and searing touches and stubbornness that had gotten them to where they were now. Changing the unchangeable.

They made it to the table, Amaimon sitting with half his mind on Rin, and the other half on his next move. The chatter of Rin's humans washed over his ears like a static fuzz that he let fade into the background as he picked apart his strategy.

Fire pressed to his arm, shocking him from his contemplation in a flutter of his pulse and lashes.

"Amaimon, your drink," Rin murmured as he placed the sweet concoction into his hand until he'd gotten a hold on it, then that touch moved to his hip and the pinpoint heat was back.

Damn him. Amaimon nearly growled, wanting to push into that touch that promised pain. Wanted Rin to burn the fabric from his body and deep into his vessel. Into his core.

Instead he was stuck with a comforting heat that barely made it through the fabric of the dress Samael and Rin had chosen for him that night, as if they had known it would be such agony to suffer with instead of one of the more sheer dresses.

And he was also stuck in this seat for who knew how long, with how humans liked to talk. Amaimon hid his growing desire to fidget by taking a drink, pleased with what Rin had chosen in this case, at least.

It also gave him something to focus on other than the increasing need to give into his arousal, infinitely more difficult to ignore when every circular path of Rin's finger moved closer to where he wanted him.

The maddening pattern continued. His hips twitched, prompting a purr from Rin below human senses.

Unbidden, his mind drew back to the bathhouse, the way Rin had purposefully used his tail as a taunt, knowing it would affect Amaimon- if not how much. This night was just as bad, for very different reasons.

Rin had discovered how to use his flames, for one. Amaimon suppressed a jolt when fingers dug viciously into his hip, the fire gaining in intensity for a brief mind-numbing moment where he forgot how to breathe, before settling again.

He'd been lucky to have finished and set his empty glass on the table already or he would have shattered it just like Rin had earlier. And he was equally lucky Rin wouldn't be able to use his tail in their game. Not with so many humans around.

Their food arrived, Amaimon inhaling it in the hopes that the quicker he ate the quicker they could go back to more interesting things.

But Rin took his time, laughing with his humans and toying with the folds of Amaimon's dress over his stomach.

Amaimon resisted moving against that hand by making a move of his own.

"I'm bored," he said for the humans and to give him the perfect excuse to shift and nuzzle into Rin's neck as if to sleep, something he'd done many times in their presence before.

Except this time he got to return the favor, wrapping Rin in his arms as he nosed to the underside of his jaw, all but sitting in his lap until he'd gotten comfortable.

Then he smiled so that Rin could feel it-

-And let vines grow beneath Rin's clothes, thin enough that no one would see them writhe there.

If Rin could use his flames, then it was only fair for Amaimon to use his abilities too, and he had _many_ more years of experience using them in ways Rin had yet to see.

Rin choked, jerking in Amaimon's arms as the vines constricted against his body.

"You okay, Rin?" The twin asked, making Amaimon open his eyes to slits, fighting the wide smirk that wanted to form. If you asked him, Rin was more than ok. If Rin were asked…

"Fi- ah- _fine_, just went down the wrong pipe," Rin coughed while his body trembled with the effort it must have taken him not to tear the vines away- or give in to their tantalizing pressure.

He directed the vines to gather, thin tendrils slipping with slow intent around the base of Rin's tail and curling, running through the short fur in a meandering path so that Rin couldn't guess when the attack would come.

The first touch of the tendrils to Rin's entrance had him straightening in his seat, a cut off squeak sticking in his lungs while his limbs locked in indecision. Amaimon just purred, savoring the reaction.

Was that a flush on Rin's cheeks? He could hear the pulse picking up in his chest, feel the flames fighting to break loose from his control. Would he snap now? Amaimon wanted him to so they could continue and he could show Rin the full extent of what he was getting a taste of.

Vines slipped around the base of Rin's length, just a suggestion of the pressure they were capable of, Amaimon preparing to direct them to much less teasing movements-

-And pain flared at the punishing grip Rin now had on his wrist, bones grinding distractingly until Amaimon almost moaned at the force.

Then fire, not caught beneath Rin's skin, but hidden beneath his clothes, incinerated the vines Amaimon had created, the backlash of his powers he'd willed into them slamming to his skull and fracturing his concentration.

He'd broken into a cold sweat, forehead pressed to Rin's shoulder and shuddering there as he fought to contain the gasping breaths he wanted to take. Frustration began to burn inside him again, the taunting cackles he could sense from Samael echoing the desire Rin's flames had created and rattling in his head.

It would be so easy to sink his fangs in, to forfeit the wager and get what he wanted.

At the thought, his fangs bristled in his mouth and saliva gathered while he tongued the sharp wedges until he bled.

Reality had him sinking his teeth down into his tongue in a desperate grab for focus. Rin was too stubborn and he too impulsive- never having been good at waiting games when he could just take instead.

Amaimon needed something that would surprise Rin, something that would break past his human concerns and activate the primal demonic instincts that only recognized who belonged to Rin and who was so much white noise to be ignored.

"Oh, sweet." Rin's voice shook Amaimon from his scattered thoughts and he looked up to see if anything had changed and seeing Rin's humans standing.

Blue eyes met his when Rin shifted, a soft smile on his face that Amaimon didn't expect.

"Hey, Amaimon," a hand squeezed his, not to cause pain, but to touch, to hold, "dance with me?"

Oh. His cheeks heated at the surprise, only able to nod and allow Rin to pull him to the crowd of humans already swaying to the music he hadn't noticed had begun to play.

Although, Amaimon let a teasing quirk of his lips form when Rin adjusted their limbs, standing still amongst the streams of dancing humans, "have you learned how to dance since the last time?"

"Hah, yeah, actually," Rin said with a laugh, clasping one of Amaimon's hands while the other drifted to his waist to bring him closer so the heat became trapped between their bodies.

"I asked Mephisto to teach me," Rin's lips went to his ear, deep purr rumbling out and sending Amaimon's heart skipping in his chest, "I had a few repeat lessons."

His mind drew back to his own lessons Samael had coerced him into, the reward at the end more than making up for having to learn human customs. he flicked his tongue to wet his mouth imagining how Rin's may have gone.

"You ready, Amaimon?" Ready to pick their game back up, he meant.

He was. Amaimon brought his own hands to grasp at Rin, sliding up to scrape his claws to his nape before repositioning and relaxing into the rhythm Rin started.

When would Rin make his next play? Amaimon fell into the memorized steps, inhaling into the crook of Rin's neck to scent him out and deciding to make one of his own.

Tilting his head to brush their cheeks together in a deliberate caress, Amaimon stepped so that Rin was forced to rub their hips along each other. A whirl of movement became his opening gambit where he stole control of their dance and dragged Rin forward to bend over his body in a dip, hips pushed hard to Rin's.

Then, when he felt the barely contained trembling, he grinned so that Rin could see and tilted his head back, exposing his throat.

Let him imagine Amaimon beneath him, laid out and ready to be claimed, the artery in his throat an invitation and open vulnerability spoken in the curve of his body.

Growling from Rin was better than any music he'd ever heard, filling his senses until he was sure he'd win any moment.

A hot tongue laved to his pulse, no doubt feeling it jolt under the attention Rin paid it and drawing a pleased hum as Amaimon waited for fangs to sink in.

Rin nipped the skin- too soft to even do any damage- in a suggestion of a bite and pulled him back up, blue eyes glowing with the heat in them but still unbroken.

Amaimon scowled at the triumph he could see in the amused twitch of Rin's lips.

"Brat," Amaimon muttered, narrowed gaze on Rin's bright one as they began again.

"Hmm, your brat," Rin agreed with another cheerful laugh.

_His_.

"Don't get too mad, Amaimon."

Mad?

Amaimon had a second to process Rin's words before blistering heat ran in hot lines down his spine.

Hissing erupted from behind his fangs, arching into that agonizing fire and shaking, arms clinging to Rin's shoulders at the ecstasy that left him stricken.

That. _Brat_.

The glare he tried to direct at Rin felt weak on his face, a flush rising beneath the cold sweat once again on his body that tried to heal the damage Rin kept stroking into him, each excruciating pass making Amaimon's legs tremble.

"Do you give up yet, Amaimon? Give in?" His name on Rin's lips in the deep rumble his voice had taken, called up the last time Rin had told him to _scream_. To make _Samael_ scream.

_Give in give in give in_

Flames crushed his senses, overwhelming his core that fought to return to the creation fire that had spawned it as Rin smiled down at him with that warping blue of his eyes and fangs in his mouth and Amaimon wanted nothing more than to add himself to that greater power.

It called to the demon he was. A siren song always in the background when in Rin's presence but so much more when he lost control- when he became who he was meant to be.

But…

That wasn't completely true, Amaimon knew.

Because...

_Rin was also human._

Epiphany hit him, the answer, the way to win their wager washing through his mind in sudden, sweet clarity.

He couldn't last any longer under Rin's onslaught. He played his final gambit.

"Rin," his voice rasped to Rin's neck where he'd been forcing his fangs away from with sheer will.

"Give in, Amaimon?"

_No_.

"No, I wanted to tell you…"

Amaimon trailed off, unable to speak and trying not to pant at another pattern burned into his skin- Rin's name? Rin had seared his name to his spine over his tail, whiting Amaimon's vision out as he choked on a moan.

"Tell me what, Amaimon?"

_Tell him._

A surge of strength let Amaimon snap his claws up to grip Rin's hair, bringing him into place over his shoulder and allowing him to whisper his next words to his ear.

"Tell you _I love you_, Rin."

Rin froze. Heat flared out of his control.

Pain sliced into Amaimon.

"I _win_."

Amaimon crooned his victory at Rin's now elongated ear, gasping as fangs sunk deeper into the muscle of his shoulder.

"Get us _out of here_, Amaimon," Rin's voice ground gravel-like against his shoulder, clearly forcing the snarl he wanted to loose back behind his fangs.

"Rin?" Shiemi's confused utterance of Rin's name had Amaimon containing his own snarl, quickly raising his hand and snapping to remove them from the crowd back to their room.

They landed on the sheets in the dark room, Amaimon's breath leaving in a cry with the force of Rin shoving him down and sinking his fangs back into his shoulder without preamble.

He just remembered to keep his claws from tearing through the suit Rin wore as he scrabbled against him, hips rolling in near painful pressure in his efforts to get the friction he needed.

"Now, now, that's not how this game ends." Amaimon growled when Rin was pulled away from him until he recognized the voice and scent of Samael, growl redoubling at having his reward stalled until his mind caught up with the words he spoke.

The game was over, damn him, and Amaimon wanted Rin _now_. He shot up, panting with the barely contained energy shaking his limbs.

Only to find Samael smiling at him as if he didn't know what he'd done, taking Rin like that. Rin trembled in Samael's arms, the shock of being interrupted from his singular focus on Amaimon leaving him stunned.

"Bravo, Amaimon! I thought he nearly had you in that last act, but you pulled a stunning victory." More meaningless words from Samael when they could be acting. Amaimon glared into smirking green eyes from where they met his over Rin's shoulder.

Rin's whimpered gasp from his trapped position facing him on Samael's lap had Amaimon crawling to slide up along his body so he could nip at his ear as he forced himself to wait for what Samael had in mind.

Though if he didn't hurry, Amaimon would take things into his own hands.

"Mephisto," Rin's whine into Amaimon's ear sent him shivering as he stared unblinking at Samael, the heat building from Rin making his claws itch to tear the offending clothes away so he could reach flesh and tear that, too.

"Patience, Amaimon, this is a celebration, you should savor it," Samael purred out, lips scant inches from Amaimon's, "and after all, to the victor go the spoils, as the humans say."

Who cared what the humans said? Amaimon glared harder, pressing into Rin to shove him to Samael's chest until they both sat between his sprawled legs.

"Really, Amaimon, do I have to spell it out for you?" Samael said with a huff, though Amaimon could see he was only doing it to tease, to extend the torment and his own game, "Rin lost the bet, he's yours to do with whatever pops into that impulsive head of yours."

Lips moved to centimeters away, then, brushing Amaimon's with the murmured next words, "so make it a good request, hm?"

A good request? Anything he wanted?

Power flooded from his core along the winding threads of his vessel to gather at his fingertips that he dug beneath Rin's suit.

Blue eyes stared in hazy shock.

"I want him to stay _put_ for _once_ this night," Amaimon hissed through bared fangs.

Then he let the vines grow.

"Ah! _Amaimon_!" Rin yelped, twisting in Samael's hold and gripping his hands to his collar to yank it back like he could see what attacked him beneath the restrictive fabric.

Amaimon had had _enough_ of him evading his grasp, ignoring him for worthless chatter with the humans and teasing him with the promise of pain but not delivering for so long.

"And is that your only request, Amaimon?" Samael's purr deepened to a rumble as he rubbed his cheek to Rin's, caressing the flush staining his skin while Rin leaned into the contact with an automatic responding purr.

"No," Amaimon bit the word onto Rin's open mouth and lapped at the blood before Rin could try to capture his tongue in a kiss. The vines writhed with more insistence at his unspoken command, spreading to twine around Rin's wrists, his tail, his throat-

"I want you to _burn me like you mean it_."

-He snapped his fingers and vanished their clothes, tired of playing at being human. Needing to rend and tear until he was satisfied.

Rin groaned, quivering under the assault he'd only had a taste of at the dinner and arching his neck back to Samael's shoulder. His body, now on full display to Amaimon, heaved as he began canting his hips to try to get friction.

"-And I want _you_ to scream so all those humans know you're _mine_." Amaimon snarled and reached down to pump Rin's length, his grip verging on painful.

It only made Rin press his lips together in a muffled keen as he resisted giving Amaimon his just reward- still holding onto that human aspect of himself.

"I do love when you're properly motivated, Amaimon," Samael said, maintaining his even tone, nothing but an altar for Rin to fall apart on.

Good. This was _Amaimon's_ reward.

Without stopping the vines from their constrictive dance, Amaimon pinned that blue-eyed gaze with his own and impaled himself on Rin, hissing at the tear from the lack of preparation.

But that wasn't the burn he was after.

"_Now_, Rin," he growled the command into Rin's neck, feeling the whipcord tension break as Rin cried out when he started moving.

The vines at Rin's wrists yanked until his hands latched to Amaimon's sides.

Then the fire came.

"_Yes_," Amaimon said in a long hiss of breath, arching into Rin as flames ate past the delicate skin along his flanks to the muscle beneath.

Agony- the same he'd experienced the night Rin nearly wiped him from the face of Assiah- drove Amaimon into a frenzy. He sunk his claws in deep, hearing the snarl forced from Rin's mouth, and captured it with his own.

His tail snapped to twine around Rin's where it lashed at the side, trying to get him closer even as his body recoiled under the assault and tears sprang to his eyes.

More. He needed _more_.

He bared his fangs and snarled louder in Rin's face, prompting a snap of teeth as Rin jolted at his defiance.

It was enough.

Rin got with the program, gaze sharpening with his open-mouthed grin and suddenly the vines on his wrists burnt away, the power released in a short backlash followed by more of those searing trails Rin dragged up his spine that whited out his vision.

So much more than the teasing, blistering heat Rin's touch had produced at the dance, this fire seemed to demand access to his very core, unsatisfied with the offering of Amaimon's flesh.

Even with the vines holding him, Rin took control of their pace, meeting Amaimon in a punishing rhythm as he directed the blue fire to fill the room, though the only thing that burned was Amaimon.

Samael groaned behind Rin, no longer able to resist the power he wielded, though Rin's focus stayed on dominating Amaimon and the flames only toyed with pressure and heat on the demon at his back.

Claws, enhanced with flames, sunk into his shoulders, jerking Amaimon down as Rin came in an erratic stutter of his hips and a delicious cry that cut off far too quickly as he muffled it into where he bit into Amaimon's neck.

The sharp pain through already damaged nerves sent Amaimon over the edge, lungs aching with his ravaged breaths swallowed in the billowing heat.

"Mmn," Rin hummed where he drew his tongue to healing gouges, gentling his touch as he took his claws from Amaimon's back to brush him in a caress, contented after his release.

"We're not _done here_, Rin."

Blue eyes widened from where they'd shuttered at Amaimon's hissed promise.

"Wha-?"

He pulled Rin's head back by his hair to nip bright red lines into his jaw, voice dark, demanding, "you haven't screamed loud enough to alert the humans, yet."

To the victor go the spoils, as Samael had said. And Amaimon wanted his spoils.

"Don't burn these," he ordered, lips pressed to the corner of Rin's mouth as he stared up at the barely contained beast in Samael's eyes and let the vines grow further.

Then he directed them to spread Rin's legs, knees sliding across the wooden floor where they'd no doubt bruise.

"Wait- wai-," Rin panted, in a tug of war with his instincts that wanted to respond to Amaimon and the bit of his mind that had returned after he'd been sated, "walls, paper-thin walls."

"Hmm, that won't be a problem, Rin," Samael said as his hands wandered the paths the vines took on Rin's body, grazing claws to the sensitive skin of his vulnerable stomach and hovering over the mess Amaimon had made there, "all those guests are wrapped up in their celebration, we're quite free to be as loud as we want."

Not that Amaimon had cared about that at all in the first place, though if it got Rin focused back where he should then-

Amaimon lifted his hips, letting Rin slip out of him, but it was only so he could settle beneath his trembling thighs that the vines held up as much as by Rin's own power.

-And Rin keened as Samael brought his hand to his over-sensitized length just as Amaimon sent the tendrils of his vines to stretch Rin's entrance.

The arched throat that revealed itself to Amaimon had him clamping fangs there again, swallowing the vibrations of Rin's cry and the sound of his drumming pulse that beat faster as the vines thickened and concentrated on searching out that point inside him.

_Take him take him take him_

_Take everything he was._

"Samael," Amaimon said in a rough growl just as the vines gave a brutal thrust up and expanded again, earning him claws tearing down his shoulders in wonderfully agonizing retribution from Rin.

Words escaped him, they weren't needed, anyway. Samael would understand.

He ground his length to Rin's leg in savage movements until he hardened again, fighting through the sting of sensation as Samael proceeded to follow his unspoken plans.

Rin's eyes shooting open as Samael gripped his hips and lined himself up behind him made Amaimon grin around bared fangs letting the vines stretch yet again, growing to cover Samael, too.

A hissed breath from the sting of being stretched so far escaped Rin's clenched teeth, but he didn't stop trying to meet the vines, hadn't burned them from his body yet, so Amaimon didn't hold back.

When Samael pushed in alongside the vines, a groan on his lips, Amaimon sat back from Rin to watch the way their faces contorted in pleasure and savored the gasping breaths filling the room.

-Pleasure and _pain_. Amaimon traced his tongue over his fangs at the wince that flashed across Rin's expression, at the whine that built in his lungs as the muscles in his legs twitched away from the source.

But Samael bottomed out and Rin hadn't given any signal that he wanted to stop, was now trying to push back onto Samael and whining from frustration instead.

Good. Amaimon bent forward to lick a trail besides where Rin's length leaked new pre-come to his stomach, tasting the mixture of his own release as he drew up over the quivering heat of Rin's body to claim his mouth.

Then he positioned himself beneath Rin's hips again, nudging up against where Samael already moved in shallow thrusts, teasing Rin with what would come.

"Rin," Amaimon spoke, voice ghosting over the extended ear where he nuzzled their cheeks together and swallowed by Samael's parted lips that hovered apart from his, "scream for me, Rin."

"Scream for us, Rin," Samael murmured back, heavy.

Amaimon thrust in beside Samael, letting the vines slip from Rin's entrance so he could take their place but not giving him any time to adjust, bucking up and commanding them to bring Rin down to meet him at the same time.

"_Ah_!"

There were his screams. He gripped claws into Rin's shoulders, forcing a rhythm that Samael followed, the tight heat squeezing him in an aching slide as he pushed in as deep as he could go.

Slick friction built where he slid along Samael, erratic and each chasing their own pleasure from the body at their mercy while Rin's tantalizing cries wound Amaimon further, made him press bruises into the hard flesh beneath his claws.

Blood sluiced from the gouges he tore into Rin until it stained Amaimon's already heated skin, coating the vines and ruddying the once pristine white fur of Rin's tail where it wrapped over his waist as if he could bring Amaimon closer than he already was.

Hands at Rin's hips from Samael added to the mess when he dug his own claws in, stealing control of the pace as Amaimon snarled when the abrupt shift ground their lengths together.

Rin keening in a long whine at the rough treatment spurred Amaimon on, feeling Samael react the same, his head bowed to focus on fucking up into Rin so that his mussed bangs covered his eyes from view.

A sound jerked Samael's head up again, turning as Amaimon did to the source.

Someone had opened a door somewhere.

"A- _mnh_\- _Amai_-!" Rin moaned his name, too lost in pleasure to contain the mindless sounds escaping his throat to wind in the room.

"_Ahn_~" another loud cry from Rin. The sound of footsteps moving down their hall.

Amaimon jerked his gaze to meet Samael's.

"Silence," Samael hissed the order out.

A moment later he sent power to the vines and drove them to cover Rin's mouth, the only thing he could think to do on such short notice.

Wide blue eyes, slit pupils lost in the inferno they'd become, snapped to meet Amaimon's, panic entering them as Rin found his air cut off. Muzzled.

Preparing for the blaze of blue flame his actions would no doubt prompt had Amaimon flinching, hips stuttering to a halt and frozen before that penetrating gaze.

The footsteps grew closer, a grumbled voice, words unintelligible from the slur of too much drink, had a subdued growl rising between the three of them, though Amaimon couldn't bring himself to act, pinned beneath Rin's claws where they'd lodged in his shoulders.

But…

Lids shuttered over the glow of Rin's eyes, nostrils flaring in shallow breaths and skin flushed under the vines that stretched over his mouth.

He began to whine, low in his chest, that familiar pained whine that precipitated an explosion and Amaimon darted a look to Samael, struck by indecision.

Samael stared back, hand raised to bring them away from the room if Rin couldn't contain the reaction.

Just as the footsteps made it to the end of the hall and Amaimon began drawing the vines from Rin, blue eyes snapped open again.

Those claws that had been stuck into him yanked free only to come to clasp the back of his neck, Rin's other hand coming to his thigh to keep him steady.

Then he started to move, a burst of flame incinerating the vines holding his legs in place so that he could grind down onto Amaimon and Samael. Another wince from the backlash distracted him for a moment, but he never took his eyes from Rin, couldn't, now, even if he'd wanted to.

He'd left the vines on his mouth.

Amaimon stared, fighting the guttural moan that wanted to come out as the realization hit him about what Rin wanted.

It seemed he wouldn't be getting Rin's screams after-all, at least, not loud enough for the humans to hear.

That was ok, Amaimon didn't particularly care whether the worms heard them anymore. Not when he could have Rin's muffled cries all to himself. He resumed the pace, watching the shivers that went through Rin's body and leaning to capture the vibrations in the exposed throat as Rin tossed his head back when Samael joined in too.

Tears gathered at the corners of Rin's eyes, his tail tightening as the skin bruised where it constricted his chest where he'd wound it until Amaimon gasped at the dull throb of pain that echoed the throbbing rush of his pulse in his ears.

Warmth and a rumbled growl tore from Samael as he came, the spurts of his release filling Rin with a liquid heat that spilled out around Amaimon. His growl cut off as he sunk fangs deep into Rin's shoulder, shuddering even as Amaimon kept moving alongside him.

Pressure built, the slick now aiding his increasing pace as the remaining vines writhed over Rin like another pair of hands when Amaimon couldn't take his from where he used them to give him the leverage necessary to pound up into Rin.

Saliva slid out from Rin's mouth around the vines covering him, tinged pink from blood where he must have bitten with sharp fangs as his eyes rolled in his skull and whimpers came through.

Amaimon brought his tongue to trace at the tears staining his cheeks, scraping his fangs to Rin's jaw as he gave up keeping a rhythm, chasing the coiling pleasure in his gut and mouthing at the pulse point he'd dragged his tongue to next.

He sank his fangs in, clamping to Rin's neck just as the wave crested, washing his mind free of anything except the feeling of Rin clenching around him and sound of his cries through the bindings until, with a flash of blue heat, he joined him, another long keen ringing in Amaimon's ears.

Then he allowed himself to drift amongst their panting breaths and thudding heartbeats in the now quiet room.

A purr rose from Amaimon, sated and pleased with his reward as he laved his tongue to the healing marks, adding more whenever they closed over while Samael did the same at the other side.

Rin hadn't moved from the harsh curve his release had thrown him in, neck arched to rest on Samael's shoulder and pupils blown, unseeing, as they fixed on the ceiling. Deep, shivering exhales from his nose and the rapid flutter of his pulse had Amaimon stilling,

The tail Rin had captured Amaimon with slipped from its noose, laying limp over his thighs in complete disarray.

"Amaimon, the vines," Samael said in a careful reminder, breaking the silence in a low murmur.

It jolted Amaimon into action, vines trailing away to leave Rin freed, revealing his bruised lips and bloodstained fangs.

One blink. Another.

Amaimon gasped as Rin snapped his head up to bring their mouths together in a clash of teeth, drawing fresh blood to stain them as claws wound through his hair to press him closer.

Just as quickly as it happened, Amaimon was released and Rin turned to give the same treatment to Samael. Through it all the rapid pace of his heart told Amaimon the danger wasn't past, watching the way Rin claimed Samael's mouth with more fervency than might be called for.

"I thought you said we could be as loud as we wanted?" Rin said in a rush when he broke the kiss, cheeks red and pupils still dilated further than the play they'd just had could justify. Amaimon pulled out of Rin, ears twitching at the hissed breath his unexpected movement brought forth as he waited to see what Rin's reaction would be.

"Yes, that should have been the case," Samael said, self-deprecating smile enhancing his words as he allowed Rin to disengage, "it seems someone else left the party early- to our misfortune."

Rin snorted, leaning back on his hands and fixing a flat stare at Samael, "I'll say."

By his words he appeared to have glossed over the near panic attack. But Amaimon could see the way his pupils flicked as if he couldn't stay focused for long and, slowly, twined his tail with Rin's, gazing beneath his bangs to gauge how his move would be taken.

There. A hitched breath, a dart of Rin's eyes to the side as if he searched for enemies in the room and finally Samael caught on, a narrowing of his own eyes that he covered up with a sly expression.

"You gave a beautiful performance, tonight," he said as he brought Rin's hand to his lips, licking at Amaimon's blood where it had stained his claws, "I believe Amaimon has received his just reward for winning the wager."

"Yeah- hey, yeah!" Rin turned to glare at Amaimon, though it lacked heat, "what's with the plant thing? Why didn't you ever use those before?"

Safe. Rin had pushed past the remainders of the panic with help from a successful distraction by Samael. Amaimon curled forward to drape himself along Rin's side, enjoying the warmth that brought his mind back to the searing fire and making him shiver with a purr, "you never used your flames."

"Seriously? That's it?" Rin shifted to get comfortable and his hair tickled at Amaimon's shoulder where he rested.

A wicked gleam entered Samael's eyes where he still toyed with Rin's hand between his own, pressing it to his cheek while Rin twitched his claws beneath the bruised circles there.

"And what a _fascinating_ development from you, Rin."

The claws stopped, the pads of Rin's fingers flattening to the skin under them before he responded, mumbling in a sudden bout of embarrassment.

Amaimon furrowed his brows. What?

He cocked his head to the side to see Rin refusing to look either of them in the eyes.

"Yes, what was that, Rin?" Samael pressed, leaning in and smile growing.

"I said I don't know, it felt good, I didn't want to stop- I didn't think it through anymore than that, dammit," Rin said eventually, blurting the words out and glaring at Samael, though he hadn't taken his hand back, yet, so he couldn't be too upset.

It just brightened the smile further on Samael's face as he leaned the rest of the way to place a short kiss to Rin's pouting lips, "as I said, fascinating. You continue to surprise me, Rin."

"Well, as long as one of us is having fun," Rin said, pout giving way to a wry grin and curling his fingers to trace the flats of his claws to Samael's cheek until he seemed to notice the rest of his surroundings.

"Please tell me one of you guys can get the blood outta the floorboards." He punctuated his words with a grimace, pulling his hand back from Samael to scratch at a drying splash nearby.

"We wouldn't want them revoking your invitation into their home because of a little blood, I suppose," Mephisto sighed with a mocking tilt to his head as he snapped to clean the evidence of their activities.

"A little, huh- wait, more importantly, you don't think they noticed anything at the wedding, do you? I kinda got carried away," Rin said as his shoulders came up in a hunch.

More worrying about the opinions of worms. Amaimon paid the conversation half a mind, nosing into Rin's heat and closing his eyes to bask in their mingled scents and the sounds of their heartbeats.

"You two were certainly the center of attention," Samael purred, and Amaimon knew if he looked, a pleased flush would be staining Rin's cheeks, "if one didn't know any better, they might say the party was in _your_ honor."

"I'm pretty sure the point of a wedding is to celebrate the people getting married, not steal the spotlight," Rin said, grumbling.

"Then they should have never invited you, hmm? Besides, my outfit selection made that quite impossible."

Amaimon cracked his eyes open when a palm drew up his leg, staring into Samael's eyes with an irritated frown at having his doze interrupted.

"I almost want to put you two back in your clothes to peel them off again, a missed opportunity- this time."

That got a scoff from Amaimon, "if you wanted to do it your way you should have included yourself in the game."

Lips touched to his shoulder as Rin spoke, his voice tinged with a deeper rumble, "yeah, but also I really, _really_ need to see him take that dress off you, too."

Oh.

"Fine."

He would see what he could get out of them for the dress later when they were more desperate.

Just as he was about to get Samael to make up his mind about what he would do with the hand still tracing idle circles onto his skin, an obnoxious jingle broke their concentration and Amaimon scowled to see the familiar pink phone appear.

Especially because it made Rin tense against him again.

Shura's voice sounded from the other end, sharp, and Amaimon knew their night was over. The hand left his thigh, Samael's expression smoothing over as the masks changed on his face again-

-And Rin had gone quiet at his side, even more once the reason for Shura's call came out.

Demons were beginning to react to the thinning veil and hold on the Gehenna Gate. The wild energy in Assiah had itched at his senses for months now as it built and the trickle-down effect was finally reaching the lesser kin. Samael's vessel couldn't take much more before he had to release the gate.

It all culminated with an increase in demonic activity- the most recent a cyclops attack at a major human hub of activity within Samael's jurisdiction. Apparently the humans at ground zero were getting exposed and the veil that shrouded their sight from seeing the supernatural was fading. They were no longer able to ignore what was right before them the whole time.

Already the humans were spreading the word, more would be exposed the longer it went on.

The next stage of the war between Lucifer and Samael had begun. He didn't know how Rin would deal with the fallout.

The call ended, the phone vanishing again as Samael regarded them without letting on to his thoughts.

"I thought you said you weren't lying about this wedding going off without a hitch," came the quiet words from Rin after a long beat, "why do I get the feeling this is gonna get bad real fast?"

Green eyes didn't flinch from them, "this is one of those unavoidable sequences that must occur, I'm afraid- and technically the wedding _did_ go off without a hitch, this is the reception, after-all."

An exasperated sigh left Rin, his eyes closing as he rubbed his hand to his face, "I'd better get ready then, she said she's calling Yukio next and we have to head back."

Anger flashed through Amaimon, but it died just as quickly. The thought of a day Rin would actually decide Samael's schemes were too much filled him with the same frustration it always did, but this time a strange feeling he couldn't place accompanied it.

He didn't know if he wanted it anymore.

They moved, Amaimon's thoughts absorbed in picking apart the newest confusing feeling to afflict him as Samael snapped to clothe them in the warmer winter outfits he'd chosen instead of the formal wear and return the room to working order.

Rin's phone was the next to ring, as he'd expected, and Amaimon caught the orders from the twin on the other end of the line. By the hard tone, he probably knew where Rin was and what he'd been up to, or at least suspected. That brought a thin slice of a smile across Amaimon's fangs to know the twin would have to contend with the knowledge of who Rin had spent his time with, of who, exactly, had stolen Rin right from under his nose.

"Amaimon," the sudden call of his name from Samael brought him from his thoughts, looking up to see a brow raised at him, "return Rin to the others."

And not return on their own, with him, he didn't say. So Rin needed to be with the humans to witness something he couldn't avoid. By the silence from Rin, he had heard the unspoken truth, too.

There was nothing to do but obey. But for how much longer would Rin do so? When he uncovered the rest of Samael's lies, saw the past and the part he'd played in it, would Rin be so forgiving?

He tracked Rin's steps to watch him leave a parting kiss on Samael's lips, lingering in his reluctance to go.

Amaimon stood, finding himself pinned in an appraising look from Samael, leaving the next move to him.

It hit him, then, what strange emotion he'd felt at the thought of Rin deciding he'd had enough of Samael's plans, enough of Samael, even if he didn't discard Amaimon, too.

Dread. And fear. He didn't want Rin to go, didn't want him to give up on Samael, on them. He rubbed at his chest above his heart, then made his decision.

The claims burned bright between the three of them as Amaimon came forward to set a soft press of his lips to Samael's. Then he pulled back to Rin, needing the steady presence he provided when treading such precarious waters.

When he snapped his fingers to deposit them back with the humans, it was with the pressure of Samael's gaze meeting his that stayed with him even after they'd disappeared from view.

"Ah!"

"Holy shit!"

"Why would you just pop up like that?" The spy groaned at them where he clutched at his heart.

"You're here," The twin spoke up, shock in his voice that he quickly hid, "I thought you would have just gone straight home."

Rin rubbed a hand to the back of his head, "I didn't want to leave you guys, I can't believe how crazy this night got so fast."

"Um, Rin," Shiemi said, gaining their attention, "where did you and Ambrosia go earlier?"

Red crept up alarmingly quick to Rin's face as he sputtered, blindsided by the oblivious question.

Izumo stumbled to her side as Amaimon opened his mouth to tell her.

"Shiemi!" She wound their arms together, dragging her a few steps away to whisper furiously- not that it stopped Amaimon from hearing, but he didn't know what shoujo manga could possibly have to teach Shiemi about fucking.

"Oh thank god Izumo took care of that," Rin whimpered under his breath, groaning as he scraped claws through his hair before turning to the rest of his humans with a wide smile.

"So, you wanna answer Shiemi's question, Rin?" the spy said, eyebrows lifting and voice hinting that he knew exactly what she'd been talking about. Amaimon almost snarled at him for speaking, lip curling over his fangs.

"Ow!"

Bon smacked the back of the spy's head, "dumbass, do you wanna get your ass kicked that bad?"

"He never learns, does he?" Konekomaru said, shaking his head with a sigh.

The twin coughed, directing their attention to the key he'd raised in his hand, "anyway, I have to make it to the frontlines so I'll be taking a key to get there quicker, you all will have to take the train back and head to Ikebukuro station."

At their acknowledgment, he nodded and, with a twist of his key into a door, left them.

Shifting came from the spy as he held up a key of his own.

"And, you know, as a spy, I have to go do spy stuff, see you guys later."

Amaimon heard the low growl from Rin at the blatant traitor while Bon screeched at the spy and Konekomaru made more commentary Amaimon didn't bother listening to.

More humans came to see them off, the slow monotony of the way they lived leading Amaimon to burrow his nose in Rin's hair, amusing himself with getting away from the chill of the winter air and wondering what possible event Samael could have thought Rin would need to be there to see because it all seemed so inane.

But they did make it to the station finally, boarding the train. Once again, Amaimon scowled as the tight space surrounded by too many loud humans set tension in Rin's spine that only a tight grip on his hand and the soothing purr Amaimon started up could lessen.

Already, the humans were chattering about the demon attacks in the news, though a hesitant call of Rin's name had them halting their path to their seats. Amaimon scowled deeper at the interruption. He wanted to get to their seats so he could keep Rin from the thudding of too many hearts and mix of scents and they could get this unnecessary stage over with.

Bon looked up at them from the computer he'd already been working on. Amaimon didn't like the expression he wore.

"Hey, Rin, we should talk," Amaimon narrowed his eyes, hearing the stutter of a heart that spoke of hidden truth. His lip curled over his fang as Bon shifted in discomfort, "not now, but soon."

"Oh, yeah, sure, Bon," Rin said, accepting the delay.

Amaimon didn't. There was something important, something that, by the faint scent of fear coming from Bon, meant bad news that Rin wouldn't like. That would upset Rin. He started to growl.

"Hey, it's okay, Amaimon, let's go sit down," Rin smiling up at him had Amaimon cutting off the growl, though not without one last glower Bon's way.

He pushed up against Rin when they sat, glaring at nothing then, as a warm arm settled around him.

"What's up, Amaimon?" Came the soft question, Rin sensing his mood.

"You should have made him tell you, he's hiding something important," Amaimon said, not that he thought it would make a difference, Rin always being too quick to allow others their peace and _always_ at his own expense.

Quiet from Rin as he traced an idle thumb to Amaimon's shoulder.

"Yukio wanted me to ask you guys about our mom."

What?

Their mother, the human who bore Father's children, had brought Rin into existence. Another hidden truth Samael had kept from Rin.

He tensed under Rin's arm, uncertain again, what Rin would want from him, what he would say.

A shivering breath. Rin continued, "it's what Shura's gift was about- that night, she told us about the one time she met our mother and, after she left, Yukio asked me how I could trust anything you guys said if you wouldn't even let me know about something like that- then, you know, I collapsed."

How _could_ he trust anything they said? The twin was right, no demon dealt more in the currency of lies than Samael, and Amaimon had never cared who suffered from any misinformation he happened to give out at their expense before. If they were dumb enough to take him at his word then they deserved to be deceived, after-all.

But not Rin.

"You know what I told him, Amaimon?" Rin said, though Amaimon hadn't spoken, couldn't, the indecisiveness that seemed to be ever-present nowadays pricking shallow wounds into his mind.

"I told him, 'I won't'."

Resolve on Rin's tongue and Amaimon could imagine him saying it with the same stubborn look in his eyes that he'd favored them with so many times, the one they'd caved to, eventually.

"Why?" Amaimon breathed the question, staring into the weave of the fabric covering the seat in front of them and unsure if he was asking about the current topic or another, deeper, question.

"Because when you guys are ready to tell me, you will. Just like when Bon's ready to tell me whatever it is he wants to tell me, he will, and I'll listen."

Of course. Amaimon gave a strangled snort, burrowing his face into the folds of Rin's jacket. A laugh burned in his lungs. Of course something so simplistic would be the thing that tore the footing from so many unsuspecting souls.

Was he shivering? Amaimon thought he might be. Rin felt the tremors in his body and tightened his hold.

"It's okay, Amaimon."

Wrong. Okay implied that things were fine as they were, that nothing needed to be changed and the status quo could exist as it was. Amaimon wouldn't accept that, couldn't. Not for Rin's sake.

He was seventh in Gehenna's power-structure but could only affect so much, even though he had chosen to side with Rin, had put his power at his disposal. He had seen how even that power could fail to add up, all at the whims of a human.

Samael said demons were unchanging, but he'd been proved wrong, had admitted it and changed in turn.

And so...

Amaimon would change things for Rin.

"It's not," Amaimon shifted to look into Rin's eyes, making sure to put the gravity of a promise behind his words.

"It's not, but it will be."

Notes:

Amaimon is world's best bae, what can I say.

But also, bc my brain thinks about these things, if you were curious about how the timeline would progress with a key character like Lightning now deceased (rip him) I came up with this little extra bit:

The talk Bon has with Rin about neither being responsible for what Lightning did, helps him overcome the guilt he was feeling to continue the investigation on his own. So canon can still continue as is. Though Dragulescu isn't attacked by Lightning. The information is still given to one of the Arch Knights. Bon contacts Lucy or Osceola for help, having hit a dead end on his part of the investigation, so they join him after seeing what he's found.

Depending on if a Morinth contract works after the caster dies (which I'm thinking it does), Yukio still gets his hot summoned demons even without Lightning. Though no one would be able to track them unless Lightning left instructions for Bon in the event of his death on how to do everything in a plan B scenario (he's definitely smart enough to). But, with both Lucy and Osceola assisting Bon, they might be able to use the tracker Lightning had on Yukio or develop one of their own, anyway.

So, Yukio still gets to destroy the Illuminati airship and royally piss Lucifer off, Bon just gets to be the smart cookie this time.

Hope you guys enjoyed the fic and the epilogue chapters. Lemme know what you think~


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